Photo by Warren Scott Supporting the Follansbee Domino’s campaign to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, from left, are Yolanda Cronin, store manager, and Pam and Morgan Lacefield, owners.

The customers and team members of the Follansbee Domino’s location raised a lot of extra dough for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital by including a “side” of caring with their pizza orders last year.

Owned by Morgan and Pam Lacefield, the local franchise ranked 12th in the nation among Domino’s locations for the number of customers who agreed to make a donation to the hospital when placing their orders.

“The team members at Domino’s in Follansbee were proud to rally together with other stores across the country to support the life-saving mission of St. Jude,” Morgan Lacefield said. “I am thankful to our customers who joined our efforts and contributed during the campaign. Together we were able to not only raise ‘dough’ but also to deliver hope to the children, families, doctors and scientists at the children’s hospital.”

The Lacefields said Follansbee area customers can take pride in being a giving community. They added they appreciated the support from customers at all of their 14 locations, including one in Weirton. They have operated Domino’s stores for more than 30 years.

Since 2004 the national pizza chain has raised more than $47 million for St. Jude’s and in 2015, set a goal of raising $35 million over eight years for the hospital. It has raised more than $21 million to date.

The endeavor is in support of St. Jude’s Thanks and Giving campaign. It was created in 2004 by actress Marlo Thomas and her siblings, Terre and Tony, children of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas.

The Thomases encourage everyone “to give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not” by supporting the hospital’s mission of finding cures and saving children.

As a reward for her efforts to promote the fundraising campaign, Yolanda Cronin, manager of the Follansbee store, will receive an $800 airline voucher. Asked how she will use it, Cronin said she plans “to go somewhere I haven’t been and somewhere warm.”