2016 Flame of Hope Award

The McDonald’s Family Restaurants of Greater Washington, D.C.

The McDonald’s Family Restaurants of Greater Washington, D.C. (McDonald’s Co-Op) substantially impact the health and well-being of children and families in our community. As a mission partner with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, D.C. (RMHC DC) for over 35 years, the McDonald’s Co-Op has played a crucial role supporting the core mission of the charity – to ease the hardship of children’s illness on families through programs that help children heal faster, cope better, and stay healthy.

Through their generous and consistent support of RMHC DC, the McDonald’s Co-Op has been instrumental in the growth and evolution of all programs and initiatives of the charity, including, but not limited to, the KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic/Ronald McDonald Care Mobile (KMMC/RMCM) at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Each year the KMMC/RMCM delivers no cost, high-quality, comprehensive, continuous health care, delivered in a respectful and family-centered environment. The children served by this “medical home” are often at risk and have poor access to comprehensive pediatric medical services. The mobile clinic removes the barriers to quality healthcare for children living in or near poverty by delivering health and wellness services right in their neighborhoods – to all children under the age of 21. Since the partnership with RMHC DC began in 2003, the KMMC/RMCM has provided more than 20,000 patient visits to children and young adults who live in the Washington, D.C. Wards 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. The McDonald’s Co-Op has continued to advance the health and well-being of children by providing funding for the new replacement KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic/Ronald McDonald Care Mobile that began services in the Fall of 2015.

McDonald’s Family Restaurants, a cooperative of restaurants in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, are operated by committed individuals who are deeply rooted in the communities in which they do business. They help children and families reach their full potential in other ways as well. In addition to their long time support of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, D.C. and their programs – including two area Ronald McDonald Houses and two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms – members of the McDonald’s Co-Op work with various organizations and community groups in support of their initiatives to help improve a child’s life.

Highlights include:

• Over $1 million in scholarships awarded to local high school seniors through the McDonald’s Educates Scholarship Program
• Tens of thousands of dollars donated to schools and related organizations in their communities through McTeacher Night fundraisers

The McDonald’s Co-Op is proud to announce that they will again lend their support to RMHC DC as they launch the new Ronald McDonald Care Mobile FITNESS Program in the summer of 2016 in conjunction with the Division of Community Pediatrics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile FITNESS Program will provide an innovative, strategic intervention/education program that will improve the nutritional health of children and families in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.