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He’s loving it: Ronald McDonald helps with local charity effort
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SMILE: Iconic fast-food character Ronald McDonald shares a moment with Len Finsen at the Children's Rehabilitation Center in Howland. Ronald stopped Monday at the center with his pals, the owners of McDonald's restaurants in the Mahoning Valley, to raise awareness about fundraising efforts.
The restaurants are raising money through Thursday to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.
By Ed Runyan
HOWLAND — “What is that costume?” 4-year-old Nikos Monro asked Ronald McDonald as he met the red-haired man in his bright yellow and red outfit at the Children’s Rehabilitation Center.
“I’m known as Ronald McDonald, just like you’re known as Nikos,” the friendly man in big shoes said.
Ronald stopped Monday at the center at Howland Wilson Road and Squires Lane, with his pals, the owners of McDonald’s restaurants in the Mahoning Valley, to raise awareness about the fund-raising efforts taking place at McDonald’s here through Thursday.
And while Ronald McDonald was on hand, he gave out gifts and took pictures with the kids.
Jon Harris, who runs three McDonald’s restaurants in the Youngstown-Hubbard area, said all area McDonald’s will raise money by giving $1 from the sale of every breakfast value meal and every beef value meal to Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Customers can also support the charity by buying a colorful paper hand at restaurants for $1 that contains an educational message about the charity.
Money from the local restaurants provided more than $300,000 to create a Ronald McDonald respite room at the new Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley in Boardman, said Carolyn Albert, a member of charity’s board of directors.
The respite room will be available to families when the hospital opens in January, said Michelle Perdue, co-owner with her husband, John, of Warren and Niles-area McDonald’s restaurants.
The room will provide the parents of children in the hospital with a place to rest in a family room, eat and take a shower, Perdue said.
Ronald McDonald has visited the Children’s Rehabilitation Center several times in the past, and the charity gave the center $12,000 last year, some of which was used to buy exercise equipment and the rest used to help needy families pay for care, said Dominic Mancini, the center’s business manager.
The charity provides money to many other schools, senior centers, and churches and other nonprofit organizations.
David Rieger, who runs Warren-area McDonald’s restaurants, said the Ronald McDonald House was a freestanding center for the parents of children having treatment at Forum Health Tod Children’s Hospital in Youngtown, but it closed when Tod’s closed.
The new Ronald McDonald respite room will be even more accessible than the old Ronald McDonald House because it will be right inside the hospital, he said.
runyan@vindy.com