Photo: Jennifer Zielinski

Wendy's Restaurants throughout the Okanagan will no longer be raising funds to send local children to Disneyland through the Sunshine Foundation of Canada.

In an email from its corporate head offices in Toronto, Sunshine Foundation media and communications officer Tristan Joseph confirmed the two organizations would no longer be working together.

"We received notice recently that Park Inland Restaurants' Wendy's will be shifting the focus of their fundraising efforts to benefit other charities," says Joseph in an email to Castanet News.

"The Sunshine Foundation of Canada and Park Inland Restaurants’ Wendy’s have reached a number of milestones during our 20-year partnership, including raising over $1.4 million dollars since 1994, sponsoring seven Sunshine DreamLifts from Kelowna and making it possible for Sunshine to provide countless individual dreams for children with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. 2014 marks the final year of the partnership."

Wendy's DreamLift Day was the brainchild of former franchisee John Tietzen, who owned restaurants in Kelowna, West Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops and Salmon Arm.

He oversaw 18 Dreamlift Days before selling the franchises to Grande Prairie businessman, Ken Park.

During Dreamlift Day -- typically the last Wednesday in January -- proceeds from all wages and sales from that day went directly to the Sunshine Foundation to provide an opportunity for children to visit Disneyland.

Joseph says the foundation will continue to fulfill dreams for kids in the region and wishes Park Inland Restaurants’ Wendy’s success as they provide support to other deserving charities.

Representatives of Park Inland Restaurants did not immediately returns calls requesting comment on the story.