McDonalds 2003 Annual Report Download - page 26

McDonald’s 2003 page 24
An unlikely partnership was formed in
1974 when an NFL team, a children’s
hospital and McDonald’s joined
forces in Philadelphia to provide a
home-away-from-home for families of
seriously ill children. The result was
the first Ronald McDonald House.
Ten years later, with the Ronald McDonald
House program as its cornerstone, Ronald
McDonald House Charities (RMHC) was
founded. Its mission: to create, find and
support programs that directly improve the health
and well-being of children worldwide. Today, more
than 180 RMHC Chapters in nearly 50 countries reach
out to provide creative solutions to children’s issues.
In addition to providing families with temporary
lodging near hospitals where their children are being
treated, RMHC helps fund a variety of worthy causes.
For example, RMHC brings urgently needed health
and dental care to children in underserved communi-
ties through the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile pro-
gram. It supports programs to prevent child abuse and
teen suicide. RMHC also helps provide food, shelter
and education for abandoned children; fund the med-
ical treatment necessary to give children with facial
deformities a reason to smile again; and heal children
traumatized by physical and sexual abuse, alcohol
and drug dependency, loss, illness and disabilities.
In addition, RMHC funds scholarships for college
freshmen and supports programs that bring the arts
back into schools.
To date, RMHC and its local network of Chapters
have made grants in excess of $380 million to chil-
dren’s organizations around the world. McDonald’s
Corporation supports in part the management and
general expenses of the Charity’s global office, includ-
ing use of our facilities,
equipment and mate-
rials. We also defray
some of the costs
associated with fund-
raising activities and
program services.
Additional funding
and volunteer support
are provided by other
corporations and a host
of individuals, includ-
ing McDonald’s employees, owner/operators and sup-
pliers, as well as our customers around the world.
One of the Charity’s greatest supporters was Joan
Kroc, the wife of McDonald’s founder. Over the years
she donated more than $180 million to RMHC and
individual Ronald McDonald Houses. While Joan
passed away in 2003, her caring lives on through
countless philanthropic efforts. The world has lost a
true humanitarian, and McDonald’s has lost a true
friend. She will be missed.
We are proud to support RMHC, a charity that has
been listed among “America’s 100 Best Charities” by
Worth magazine. More important, we are proud of
the positive impact RMHC has had on the lives of
millions of children around the world.
A helping hand
friend