More Than a Sweet Treat: How Flying Dolly’s Gives Back to the Communities We Call Home
At Flying Dolly’s, we make ice cream, snoballs, stuffed snoballs and cookies.
But that's only part of what we want our stores to be known for.
Since opening our first location in Mandeville, Louisiana, in 2011, we've believed that a locally owned business has a responsibility that extends beyond its front doors.
If a community supports us, we should support that community in return.
Today, as Flying Dolly's has grown into communities throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, that philosophy has grown with us.
Our stores have held fundraisers, hosted Give Back Days, supported schools and athletic programs, worked with animal rescues, participated in festivals, recognized students and teachers, partnered with nonprofit organizations, and supported local business organizations.
Sometimes that means raising money.
Sometimes it means donating treats.
Sometimes it's providing a place where a school or organization can bring its supporters together.
And sometimes it's simply showing up when someone in our community needs a hand.
Over the years, that has allowed Flying Dolly's to build relationships with dozens of schools and community organizations across the Gulf South—and the list continues to grow.
Supporting Local Schools Is Part of Who We Are
If there is one area of community involvement especially close to our hearts, it's supporting local schools.
Teachers, coaches, administrators, parents and volunteers invest countless hours helping young people become the next generation of leaders in our communities.
We want Flying Dolly's to be one of the local businesses willing to stand behind them.
Our stores have partnered with schools through Give Back Days, Spirit Nights, athletic fundraisers, academic recognition, teacher appreciation and other community events.
And because every Flying Dolly's location serves a different community, each store has developed relationships of its own.
Flying Dolly’s Kenner: Supporting Jefferson Parish Schools & Families
Our Flying Dolly's Kenner location has developed relationships with schools throughout Kenner and Jefferson Parish.
Those relationships have included organizations such as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic School, Bissonet Plaza Elementary School, Alice Birney School, St. Christopher School, St. Philip Neri School, Airline Park Academy, St. Rita School in Harahan and St. Therese Academy.
Each partnership may look a little different.
Some involve fundraising events where a portion of qualifying Flying Dolly's sales goes back to the participating school. Others involve school activities, student recognition or opportunities to bring families together.
But the purpose is always the same:
Turn something as simple as getting ice cream or a snoball into an opportunity to help a local school.
Imagine a family planning to get dessert anyway.
They visit Flying Dolly's during their school's Give Back event.
The children get their favorite snoballs.
Mom and Dad get ice cream.
They see classmates, teachers and other families.
And part of that evening helps the school.
That's community fundraising the Flying Dolly's way.
Flying Dolly’s Mobile: Supporting Students, Schools and the Community
Our Dauphin Street location in Mobile, Alabama has also built meaningful relationships with local schools and organizations.
We've supported groups including the Murphy High School Boys Basketball Team, B.C. Rain High School, and Council Traditional School.
Supporting school athletic programs is especially meaningful because anyone who has raised a student-athlete knows how much happens behind the scenes.
Uniforms.
Equipment.
Transportation.
Competitions.
Coaches.
Parents.
Volunteers.
And countless hours of practice.
When Flying Dolly's can use a fundraiser to help one of those programs while also bringing families together, that's something we're proud to do.
Flying Dolly’s Saraland: Showing Up for the Spartans
The relationship between our Flying Dolly's Saraland location and the Saraland community has become especially important to us.
We've been fortunate to support groups including the Saraland High School Marching Band, Saraland High School Cross Country Team, Saraland Elementary School Choir and Indian Springs Elementary School.
One of our favorite examples has been our Give Back events supporting the Saraland High School Cross Country Team.
The team and coaches didn't simply have their name printed on a flyer.
They came to the store.
Families came.
Friends came.
Community members came.
Customers bought ice cream, snoballs and cookies, knowing a portion of sales would help support local student-athletes.
That's when a fundraiser becomes something bigger.
It becomes a community event.
And that's exactly what we want.
Fast feet. Frozen treats. Strong community.
Supporting Students on the Northshore
Our roots are in St. Tammany Parish, so supporting Northshore schools has always been particularly meaningful to Flying Dolly's.
Over the years, our connections have included Pontchartrain Elementary School, Mandeville High School, Fontainebleau High School, Lakeshore High School, St. Paul's School in Covington and St. Scholastica Academy in Covington.
These aren't simply names on a sponsorship banner to us.
These are schools attended by children and families who have supported local businesses like ours for years.
They're our customers.
They're our neighbors.
They're part of the Flying Dolly's community.
Celebrating Students Who Work Hard
Fundraising is important, but we also believe achievement deserves recognition.
That's why Flying Dolly's has supported programs designed to celebrate students for doing well academically.
A child bringing home a great report card may seem like an everyday occurrence to an adult.
But that report card can represent months of studying, homework, discipline and persistence.
We believe that's worth celebrating.
Sometimes a small gesture—a certificate, a snoball or a scoop of ice cream—can reinforce a very important message:
Hard work matters, and we're proud of you.
We want Flying Dolly's to be one of those places where families come to celebrate the good stuff.
Supporting Teachers, Coaches and School Employees
Students aren't doing it alone.
Behind every successful school are teachers, administrators, coaches, cafeteria workers, office employees, custodians, counselors and volunteers who pour enormous amounts of energy into young people.
Flying Dolly's believes they deserve some sweetness too.
That's why teacher appreciation and school employee recognition are natural extensions of our community programs.
Sometimes giving back doesn't need to be complicated.
Sometimes it's simply walking into a school with treats and saying:
“Thank you for what you do for our kids.”
Our Four-Legged Community Matters Too
Our commitment to community doesn't stop with people.
Animals have a special place in the Flying Dolly's story.
After all, our company is named after Dolly, the founders' dog.
So partnerships with animal rescues, shelters and adoption organizations feel particularly natural to us.
Our stores have worked with or supported organizations including Krewe de Rescue in the Mobile area, Saraland Pets, Jefferson Protection & Animal Welfare Services (JPAWS), and the St. Tammany Parish Department of Animal Services.
These organizations do incredibly important work caring for animals, helping lost pets return home and finding permanent families for animals who need them.
We love the idea of Flying Dolly's locations helping create opportunities for those animals to meet their future families.
Because sometimes the best thing someone takes home after visiting Flying Dolly's isn't dessert.
Sometimes it might have four legs and a tail.
Supporting Children When They Need It Most
Some partnerships have a more serious purpose.
Flying Dolly's has also been honored to support organizations serving children and families during difficult circumstances, including the Children's Advocacy Center/Hope House.
For organizations doing this kind of work, our involvement isn't about promoting Flying Dolly's.
It's about supporting people doing important work in the communities where we live.
If we can provide desserts, participate in an event, contribute resources, raise awareness or simply help bring people together around a worthwhile cause, we're grateful for the opportunity.
Some causes deserve support simply because it's the right thing to do.
Supporting Mental Health in Our Community
Community health isn't limited to physical health.
Flying Dolly's has also been involved with NAMI in Mandeville, connecting our community efforts with an organization focused on mental health education, support and awareness.
Mental health touches families throughout every community.
We believe local businesses can play a role in helping community organizations create awareness, reduce stigma and connect people.
Again, it doesn't always require something enormous.
Sometimes the most important contribution a local business can make is lending its voice, its audience and its support.
Community Means Showing Up for Community Events
Giving back isn't limited to fundraising.
Sometimes being a good community partner simply means participating.
Our Flying Dolly's Abita Springs location, for example, has been involved with Abita Springs Fall Fest.
Events like these are what make small communities special.
Families come together.
Local businesses participate.
Visitors discover the town.
Musicians perform.
Organizations meet new people.
And everyone gets a reminder that there's something special about gathering together in person.
We want Flying Dolly's to be part of those moments.
Not sitting on the sidelines.
Showing up.
Supporting the People Who Care for Our Communities
Our relationships aren't limited to elementary and high schools either.
Flying Dolly's has also been involved with the LSU School of Dentistry, extending our community connections into higher education and the people preparing for careers serving others.
As our company grows, we'd like to continue building relationships with colleges, universities, healthcare organizations, first responders and other institutions whose employees and students contribute to the communities around our stores.
Supporting Local Business Means Supporting the Whole Community
We're also proud to participate in organizations that bring local businesses together.
Our relationships have included the Kenner Business Association and the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.
Why does that matter to an ice cream and snoball company?
Because healthy local businesses help create healthy communities.
They create jobs.
They sponsor youth teams.
They support schools.
They donate to nonprofits.
They participate in festivals.
They employ parents.
They give teenagers their first jobs.
And they help create the character that makes one town different from another.
Flying Dolly's isn't interested in simply competing with every business around us.
We believe local businesses can support one another.
A strong local restaurant brings people into a neighborhood.
A great retail store gives them another reason to stay.
A festival brings visitors.
A chamber connects business owners.
And maybe everyone finishes the day with ice cream.
That's a community ecosystem we're happy to be part of.
Different Stores. Different Communities. One Flying Dolly’s Philosophy.
As Flying Dolly's grows, we're learning something important.
There shouldn't be a corporate office hundreds of miles away deciding every organization a local Flying Dolly's should support.
Our local franchisees and managers know their communities.
They know the principal.
They know the coach.
They know which animal shelter needs help.
They know when the band is raising money.
They know when a family is struggling.
They know which community event everyone attends.
That's why we encourage every Flying Dolly's location to become genuinely involved in its own community.
Kenner should feel like Kenner.
Saraland should feel like Saraland.
Mobile should feel like Mobile.
Mandeville should feel like Mandeville.
Abita Springs should feel like Abita Springs.
Bay St. Louis should feel like Bay St. Louis.
The Flying Dolly's name connects us. The local community gives each store its heart.
More Than 30 Organizations — And We're Just Getting Started
When we started looking back at the organizations Flying Dolly's stores have supported, partnered with or become affiliated with, even we were surprised by how long the list had become.
Schools.
Athletic teams.
Bands.
Choirs.
Animal rescues.
Children's organizations.
Mental health organizations.
Festivals.
Business associations.
Chambers of commerce.
And many more.
More than 30 organizations already have a connection to Flying Dolly's—and we're nowhere near finished.
We don't share that number because we want a pat on the back.
We share it because this is the kind of company we want Flying Dolly's to become.
As we open stores in new communities, we want that list to keep growing.
Not because corporate requires a certain number of sponsorships.
Because that's what good local businesses do.
Want Flying Dolly’s to Support Your Organization?
And here's the part of this article that I think could make a real difference.
We want to hear from you.
If you represent a local school, athletic team, band, choir, nonprofit, animal rescue, community organization or other worthwhile cause near a Flying Dolly's location, we'd love to learn more about what you're doing.
Maybe it's a Flying Dolly's Give Back Day.
Maybe it's a Spirit Night.
Maybe it's an adoption event.
Maybe it's student recognition.
Maybe it's teacher appreciation.
Maybe it's supporting a community event.
Or maybe you have an idea we haven't thought of yet.
Talk with your local Flying Dolly's team and tell us about your organization.
We can't participate in every request we receive, but we believe strongly in finding meaningful ways to support the communities that support us.
Because at Flying Dolly's, community isn't a department.
It's part of who we are.
The Flying Dolly’s Promise
We'll continue working to make great ice cream.
We'll continue shaving our snoball ice powder-fine.
We'll keep experimenting with flavors.
We'll keep baking cookies.
We'll keep stuffing snoballs.
But we'll also keep doing something much more important.
We'll keep showing up.
For students.
For teachers.
For teams.
For animals.
For families.
For local organizations.
And for the communities that have allowed a family-owned dessert business that started with one store in Mandeville to grow throughout the Gulf South.
Because at the end of the day, Flying Dolly's has never been only about what's in the cup.
It's about the people gathered around it.
SEO strategy I would use
This page has an unusually good opportunity for local SEO because you aren't manufacturing city names simply to rank—you genuinely have relationships in these communities.
SEO Title:
Flying Dolly's Community Partners | Schools, Fundraisers & Local Giving
Meta Description:
See how Flying Dolly's supports local schools, teams, animal rescues and nonprofits through fundraisers, Give Back Days and community partnerships across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
URL:
/blog/flying-dollys-community-partners-fundraisers
The primary topic should be Flying Dolly's community involvement, supported naturally by terms such as school fundraisers, restaurant fundraiser for schools, Give Back Days, school Spirit Nights, community partnerships, local school fundraising, animal rescue events, teacher appreciation, student recognition, community fundraising, ice cream fundraiser, snoball fundraiser, Mobile AL school fundraiser, Saraland school fundraiser, Kenner school fundraiser, Jefferson Parish school fundraiser, Mandeville community involvement and similar terms.
One change I would make to the website itself
I'd eventually turn this into more than a blog.
Create a permanent navigation item:
COMMUNITY
Under it, have Our Community Impact | School Fundraisers | Animal Rescue | Student Recognition | Community Stories | Request a Give Back Event.
Then every time you hold something meaningful—Saraland Cross Country, Council Traditional, St. Christopher, an adoption event, Hope House—you publish a short 400–700 word local story with photographs and link it back to this main Community page.
That creates dozens of legitimate locally relevant pages over time instead of trying to stuff every keyword into one article.
Most importantly, I'd add a “Request a Flying Dolly's Give Back Event” form at the bottom of the Community page. Ask for organization name, city, school/nonprofit, contact person, email, phone, nearest Flying Dolly's, estimated participation, preferred dates and what they're raising money for.
Then this blog stops being merely something that tells people Flying Dolly's supports its communities.
It actually generates the next community partnership.
And every new partnership creates another real story to tell. That's a very strong cycle for the brand, community involvement, local SEO and franchise recruiting—because prospective franchisees who encounter this section will immediately understand what you mean when you say Flying Dolly's is supposed to become part of its community.
