McDonald’s restaurants across Canada are getting ready for McHappy Day. On Wednesday, May 10, a portion of all purchases will go towards Ronald McDonald House Charities and local children’s charities across Canada.
The money helps critically ill children and their families, like the Kirby’s from Burlington. The first 100 days of little Austin and Benjamin’s lives were spent at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton.
The boys’ father, Scott Kirby says, “It was an emergency delivery and the boys were born just over 27 weeks, 27 weeks, and 3 days and 770 and 780 grams the two of them. So they were born quite early and were in a pretty scary situation.”
The boys are seven now and thriving but Scott recalls the stress of those first few months. “it was very difficult just to exist in the NICU amongst all noise and the beeps. It was a hard experience to get through.”
The Kirby’s are one of many families to use the Ronald McDonald House. There are over 150,000 visits to the room each year. Scott says, “It felt like a family room in your home, it was comfortable, it was peaceful, you were away from all of the noise of the hospital.”
The boys’ father, Scott Kirby says, “It was an emergency delivery and the boys were born just over 27 weeks, 27 weeks, and 3 days and 770 and 780 grams the two of them. So they were born quite early and were in a pretty scary situation.”
The boys are seven now and thriving but Scott recalls the stress of those first few months. “it was very difficult just to exist in the NICU amongst all noise and the beeps. It was a hard experience to get through.”
The Kirby’s are one of many families to use the Ronald McDonald House. There are over 150,000 visits to the room each year. Scott says, “It felt like a family room in your home, it was comfortable, it was peaceful, you were away from all of the noise of the hospital.”
Around 36 families are currently staying overnight at the Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton. The programs are funded entirely through McDonald’s restaurants, donations, and events like McHappy Day.
The CEO of Ronald McDonald House Mario De Divitiis says, “McHappy Days are such a fun day. It’s truly a great expression of community spirit. I get to drive around to a lot of McDonald’s, so I don’t count my calories that day and I encourage everyone not to as well.”
Whether you’re getting your morning coffee or treating yourself to a McFlurry, all purchases made in the Golden Horseshoe, Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford and Guelph all support the Ronald McDonald House at McMaster Children’s Hospital.