ORANGE PARK – Dairy Queen has been an Orange Park staple for more than 40 years. And while the business an international name, it’s family-owned run by two local residents who live just a few blocks away.

In addition to serving ice cream cones, both have been dedicated to raising funds for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Before the Dairy Queen on 610 Kingsley Ave. found a foothold in the Orange Park community, it was part of a group owned by a family. They sold the rights to Melissa Harris’ mother for their Orange Park location in 1981.

“They sold it to my mom and step-father, and when I turned 13, my twin sister and I began working there,” Harris said.

Harris’ twin sister eventually married a man named Scott Geeser. When Harris’ mom was ready to retire, she convinced Harris and her sister to take over the business. For Harris, it was an easy decision. She spent most of her working years there. Her sister, on the other hand, convinced Greeser to run it with Harris.

That was in 1991.

Now, over 25 years later, Harris and Geeser are lifelong friends and partners in Dairy Queen. According to Harris, she and Geeser are the perfect complement to each other in business.

“We complement each other in every way,” Harris said. “My strengths are his weaknesses and his strengths are mine. We balance each other really nice and I think that shows in what our Dairy Queen is today.”

Everybody knows Dairy Queen for their ice cream treats and food. Harris and Geeser said the business would probably thrive on brand recognition alone, but for them, what makes this Dairy Queen theirs is how integrated it is in the community.

If you were to drive by the Dairy Queen today, you’d find its windows adorned with Children’s Miracle Network donation slips. You’d likely find a customer, or “fan” as Geeser and Harris like to call them, adorning one of the restaurant's walls with a balloon-shaped piece of paper they purchased to put money toward a north Florida hospital like Wolfson Children’s Hospital or Shands Jacksonville. Geeser said the store’s goal this year is to raise $12,000 and that they’ve already reached the $8,000 plateau.

If you stopped by on any Friday night, you’d find a large group of motorcyclists called the Honda Goldwings celebrating camaraderie over blizzards and chocolate-dipped cones. According to Harris, they’ve been coming every Friday since 1996.

These are the community-involved staples that bring a smile to Harris’ and Geeser’s face every time they think about the business they own together.

“I think it’s so important to be a part of the community,” Harris said. “It truly takes a village to create a place as special as Orange Park and we do our best to do our part here.”

Geeser believes if a business isn’t reaching out into the community, they’re not doing business correctly.

Geeser, Harris and many of their employees hand out ice cream cone coupons at local elementary schools several times throughout the year or donating time to events like the Special Olympics.

And at least once a year, the staff hands out Blizzards to children at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

That’s only a slice of the outreach Geeser and Harris’ Dairy Queen does in the community.

Even within the store itself, Geeser and Harris are giving back. Each year, they give scholarships to their qualifying employees, funding entire semesters and other college costs.

“We try to not only give back to the community around us, but the community within our doors as well,” Geeser said. “Our employees ... we’re a team and nothing would be possible without them so it’s important to us that we take care of them.”

According to Harris, the Dairy Queen wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for their employees.

“We have the best employees,” Harris said. “We hire the best and we keep the best because without them, we wouldn’t have the business we have today. They’re always positive and they work the absolute hardest and I think that’s because they take pride in where they work.

“They take pride in what this company is and what it does for our community.”