Student-led ReyRey Cafe collaborates with a new organization each week to create a special drink, marketing their group or an upcoming event. For the week of March 23 to 27, ReyRey works with Miracle Makers to promote Raiderthon.
Miracle Makers is a philanthropic organization that donates Dayton Children's Hospital, with Raiderthon being their biggest event of the year; an annual 12-hour dance marathon raising money the hospital. This year, Raiderthon will be held on Saturday, March 28 from noon until midnight, in the conference wing of Wright State University (WSU).
Makayla Stachler, Morale Chair for Miracle Makers, is in charge of coordinating the team and dancing portions of the event. A sophomore biological sciences student at WSU, Stachler is in her second year of involvement in the organization.
"The Raiderthon Morale dance team is the yearly hype unit dedicated each year to bringing the energy to the event. This year's Raiderthon team is nine dedicated members who have been practicing for months to prefect the yearly dance taught and performed the day of Raiderthon," Stachler said.
Each year, the Morale team dresses up in their team's color and dance, teaching the audience the moves and slowly adding more throughout the event. Teams, of organizations and of colors, are just one way that Miracle Makers brings excitement through light-hearted competition among groups.
Logan Dreyer, Chief Marketing Officer for ReyRey Cafe, coordinated with the President of Miracle Makers to decide on a drink that would serve the needs of the organization. Since Miracle Makers is a philanthropic organization, this collaboration has a special feature.
"We're also using it to give donations. Every drink the week we sell, $1 of that's going to go towards Raiderthon," Dreyer said. "We're taking that out of [our] pocket."
Dreyer expressed that he enjoys making caramel macchiatos, because they are easy to make and look pretty. However, he does not often get them himself.
"They're not my favorite. I think they're a bit too sweet for my liking, but I know they're very, very, very, very popular," Dreyer said. "We get probably around, like 300 to 400 of them ordered a week, at least."
Dreyer estimated that they sell somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 drinks each week, and that caramel macchiatos are the most commonly ordered. Because of this, the philanthropic efforts of the event and collaboration, this drink was chosen. It is called the "Miracle Makers Macchiato."
As Dreyer mentioned, the drink is incredibly sweet. The coffee flavors come secondary to the tastes of creamer and caramel syrup, making the beverage a great choice for those who enjoy caffeine and sugar, but do not enjoy the taste of coffee. For those who do adore coffee, it is certainly still a noticeable part of the drink, making the Miracle Makers Macchiato a great choice for any ReyRey customer without a dairy or caffeine sensitivity.
"Last year, all of Raiderthon's proceeds were dedicated to the new mental health unit that was being put into the hospital. This year the money is just being put back into the hospital itself," Stachler said.
Since 2013, Miracle Makers has raised over half a million dollars, according to their Engage page. Even if you cannot attend Raiderthon, you can make a small donation to Dayton Children's Hospital as easily as ordering the drink of the week.
It is available at ReyRey Cafe from now until Friday, March 27. ReyRey is open every weekday, starting at 8 a.m. each day. Monday through Thursday, they close at 6 p.m.; Friday they close at 5 p.m.
Make sure to stop by during their hours and order this week's drink to contribute to the important cause and enjoy a tasty drink and go to Raiderthon to see the fun and raise money for Dayton Children's.
