On Wednesday, May 8, McDonald’s restaurants in Midland and Elmvale partnered with Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) for McHappy Day®. The one-day event raised $30,000 – $15,000 of which will be donated to GBGH’s Emergency department (ED) children’s play area. The other half of funds raised support Ronald McDonald House Charities Toronto.
“We are excited that we beat our goal for this year,” says Carol Cruden, owner of the McDonald’s restaurants in Midland & Elmvale. “We couldn’t have done it without the support of the community, hospital staff and volunteers, and of course, our restaurant staff and management teams.”
In 2018, Mark & Carol Cruden, owners of the McDonald’s restaurants in Midland and Elmvale, pledged $50,000 from McHappy Day® to build a children’s play area in the newly redeveloped ED at GBGH. The room was built in 2018 and is a huge success with families who visit the hospital.
“The kids’ play room certainly helps make the [hospital] experience happy and also gives me peace for whatever reason we are there, because I know my kids are having fun,” says Sabrina Staunton, mother and sales representative at the Faris Team. “Now instead of my son associating the hospital with a scary or boring time, he wishes he could go there to play even when he has no reason to go to the hospital.”
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For more on this event or the GBGH Foundation contact:
Jen Russell
GBGH Foundation
705-526-1300 ext 5339
russellj@gbgh.on.ca
About McHappy Day®
McHappy Day® is a national fundraiser, where restaurants, their communities, employees, customers and special guests raise money to help children in need across Canada. This year marked the 25th McHappy Day® in McDonald’s Canada since its inception in 1977. As of 2018, the event has raised over $56-million for local charities and Ronald McDonald Houses®. More than 1,400 McDonald’s restaurants participated in McHappy Day® this year.