All photos courtesy of Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream
When Joe Whitty founded Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream in 1972, he wanted it to be a happy place for all families, including those with children who had special needs. Whitty passed away in 2019, but the brand’s current president and CEO, Tom Sacco—who also has the title of Chief Happiness Officer—has remained true to his predecessor’s values.
One Happy Joe’s tradition that’s particularly close to Sacco’s heart: the company’s annual Christmas parties, which brought holiday magic to more than 1,700 children with special needs and their caregivers across multiple locations this year.
“Some of them have spina bifida,” Sacco recently told PMQ in a cover story for the January-February 2025 print issue. “Some are prone on a hospital bed. More than half are in wheelchairs. We bring in Santa Claus, and everybody gets a gift, and we cater it for them. We turn it into, like, a nightclub, with music and a mirror ball. They’re in their chairs or their beds, and we go up and wiggle the chair with them, because they’ll never get to go to a club like you or I would because of their physical condition. But it doesn’t mean they can’t be respected and treated to something special.”
For Christmas 2024, the parties took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 3 and 4. The main event was held at the Vibrant Arena in Moline, Illinois. The children enjoyed performances by Happy Joe’s hip-hop dancers, visits from brand mascot Happy the Dog, and appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Each child received a toy or one of the 10,000 books donated through a partnership with Books-A-Million. Guests enjoyed free pizza, soda, blended foods and gluten-free options, ensuring that everyone could partake in the festivities.
Additional celebrations were held at Happy Joe’s restaurants in Clinton, Iowa, with six in-restaurant parties featuring Santa, Christmas cookies and book bundles for teachers. A similar event is planned soon in Muscatine, Iowa, continuing the brand’s tradition of giving back to its communities.
These joyous gatherings are organized by the Happy Joe’s Kids Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of children with special needs and their families.
The parties trace their roots to Whitty’s passion for inclusion, inspired by an early encounter with a special needs family that sparked this enduring legacy. With volunteers, school invitations, and support from the community, Happy Joe’s ensures that every December is full of warmth, joy, and generosity.
Sacco, a devoted patriarch with children and grandchildren of his own, has proven a worthy successor to the ebullient Whitty. He’s a proponent of servant leadership—that is, leading Happy Joe’s with a servant’s heart and prioritizing the needs of others, whether guests, franchisees, business associates and anyone else who crosses his path.
In a late November interview with PMQ, Sacco got a little choked up when he recalled a Christmas party that took place last year. “This little boy wheeled himself over in his wheelchair and hugged my legs while I’m standing at the door. And he said, ‘I’m so happy you didn’t forget me this year. Thank you so much for my invitation.’ I can’t express enough how meaningful these things are, all because you act as the servant instead of the big boss.”
