CHARLESTON W.Va. — October 15 of this year marks the 44th anniversary of the opening of the first Ronald McDonald House.
Every year on this date, Ronald McDonald House Charities celebrate the anniversary of that Philadelphia house with Day of Change.
Representatives of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia were out at local McDonald’s restaurants to thank McDonald’s, its employees and its customers for donating change in the canisters at restaurants that help fund the operating costs of their Ronald McDonald House.
“It’s a way for us to get out and thank McDonald’s, thank the employees and thanks the customers coming in,” Senior Director of Development at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia Stacy Wright said. “For us, it’s not a matter for us to being able physically able to ask for that money but to be here to thank customers that are donating,”.
“It’s easy to drop your change in but to understand where that money is going, and it is going to your local Ronald McDonald House, it’s a way for us to thank all the customers to continually donate every time they come in.”
According to Wright, the spare change donated throughout southern West Virginia at local restaurants in 2017 totaled $30,000, with all that money going towards the operations of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia house.
There are 360 Ronald McDonald Houses throughout the world, including three West Virginia houses, that all celebrate Day of Change. According to a press release, Day of Change 2017 raised more than $54 million for Ronald McDonald House Charities world-wide.
“This all goes towards the operations for our house as the families stay there for free,” Wright said. “It’s all of the conveniences they have as if they were home. Without the fundraisers, we do throughout the year and the donations, and the money we receive from the canister collection from McDonald’s, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. We serve nearly 400 families every year and it takes that community effort for us to be able to do that.”
Wright and other leaders from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia were at the McDonald’s location in Kanawha City during the lunch hour. They were joined by a couple of members from the University of Charleston baseball team, who were helping collect donations in the drive-thru.
“I would encourage everyone to try to donate if they can,” Wright said. “Even a penny is going to make a difference. If everyone just donates a penny every time they come to McDonald’s, it all adds up and it would make a big impact on all of the houses and especially the families we serve.”