As many of you know we are spreading our wings to Florida, and I'm delighted to say our first stores will be located in the Orlando market! All of us at Wawa are thrilled about entering our new Wawa-land and our excitement became even more palpable after hosting our premier event in the Florida, Community Partnership Day.
The sun shined down in the sunshine state, and I felt as though our attendees' anticipation could be felt for miles, as we gave samplings of some of our most appetizing products, introduced our Wawa family to local leaders and community members and spoke about our expected economic impact on the Orlando community.
The event included local officials and key community members and it gave us a chance to provide an overview of our plans in the Orlando market. It was a way for us to introduce our unique offering, our history and our evolution to the Orlando community, and more than anything it gave us chance to introduce the Wawa brand to our new communities.
Orlando's Mayor Buddy Dyer joined our event and we felt honored as he spoke of his excitement for our launch in the market. He told the crowd he couldn't wait for our hoagies and renowned cups of coffee, but more than that he was eagerly anticipating making our family-like atmosphere and unique culture a part of his daily life.
During Community Partnership Day we also presented a check for $10,000 to Orlando Health to help sponsor their Miracle Miles event benefiting the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. We all felt right at home and felt our sponsorship of the Miracle Miles event felt natural, as we are a longtime supporter of Children's hospitals throughout our market.
The day couldn’t have been more exciting and we can't wait for our first stores to go under construction later this year. We couldn't have received a warmer welcome from the sunshine state, and we can’t wait to return the favor with our daily dose of smiles and gotta hava products and passion very soon!
'Till next time...