McDonald's fill shoes with record-breaking dough for local children

Date: 11/2/2009

Local McDonald's restaurants hosted the fifth annual "Fill Ronald McDonald's Shoes" fundraiser in stores Aug. 2 through 16, and with the help of customers, raised a record $86,300 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The program involved the sale of paper cutouts of Ronald McDonald shoes for $1, which customers wrote their names on and posted inside each restaurant. The fundraiser is executed by 150 restaurants in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts each year in the spirit of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, who was passionate about giving back to the community.

All the money raised through this program remains with the local RMHC chapter. Through its grant making, RMHC of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts donates the funds collected to local organizations that help children and families live healthier and happier lives.

"Ronald McDonald House Charities accepts grant applications from non-profit organizations dedicated to improving children's lives," said Daniel Ashburn, President of RMHC of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. "We are so grateful for the tremendous donation that resulted from the sale of the Ronald McDonald shoes, as the money will help many children whether they're at school, in a hospital or served by another organization that receives funding from RMHC."

So far this year, RMHC of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts has awarded more than $237,000 to organizations throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, including:

Camp Jonathan in Watertown

Camp Shriver/The Arc of Greater Enfield

The Children's Home of Cromwell

Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton

Educational Resources for Children in Enfield

High Hopes Therapeutic Riding in Old Lyme

Hospital for Special Care in New Britain

Lebanon Elementary School

The Lions Club of New Britain

My Sister's Place in Hartford

Police Activity League of Waterbury

Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut in New Haven

SARAH Inc./KIDSTEPS in Guilford

Soul Friends in Wallingford

The Umbrella Program in Ansonia

West Haven Community House Association

Boy Scouts of America, Western Massachusetts Council in Chicopee

Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut in New London

Yale Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation in New Haven

Your Place: Youth Center in New Haven

RMHC also makes quarterly contributions to the Ronald McDonald Houses in both Springfield and New Haven.

Since 1988, RMHC of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts has provided more than $6 million to over 400 non-profit organizations, helping thousands of area children lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. For more information about RMHC or to apply for a grant, call Carole Bowman at (860) 659-0514 or visit www.rmhc-ctma.org.