Dubois County McDonald’s donate $6,152 to Ronald McDonald House fundraising drive

Every Shamrock Shake and OREO Shamrock McFlurry sold at participating local McDonald’s helped generate a $6,152.25 donation for Ronald McDonald House of the Ohio Valley, a contribution that will support families who must stay close to children receiving medical care.

Local owner/operators Michael Burrell, Ivan Carvajal and Janet Rodriguez, Chris and Kelsey Hamlet, Chip and Katie Kenworthy, Rick and Susan Mann, Chris McEnaney, Joe and Kathy McEnaney, and Wally and Deb Nowakowski took part in the annual fundraiser and delivered the check after the promotion wrapped up. The campaign sent 25 cents from each Shamrock Shake and OREO Shamrock McFlurry sold at participating locations to the charity, turning a seasonal menu item into direct support for families in crisis.

For Dubois County families whose children are treated at the Ascension St. Vincent campus or the Deaconess Gateway campus, Ronald McDonald House offers more than a place to sleep. RMHC of the Ohio Valley says its mission is to remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when a child needs healthcare, and its houses are open 365 days a year with beds, meals, showers, kitchen access and laundry facilities.

The chapter operates two houses in the region. Ronald McDonald House Washington on Washington Avenue in Evansville opened in 2010 with 10 guest rooms. Ronald McDonald House Gateway on Gateway Boulevard in Newburgh opened Oct. 15, 2019 with 16 bedrooms, and the chapter says that expansion nearly tripled the number of families served.

RMHC of the Ohio Valley says it serves more than 1,000 children, parents and extended family members each year at its Evansville houses. The organization, born in 1988, also says local McDonald’s owner-operators and McDonald’s Corporation cover between 15% and 20% of its annual operating costs, alongside Round-Up for RMHC, canister donations, Happy Meal proceeds, wish list drives, annual gifts and sponsorships.

That makes the $6,152.25 check more than a one-day fundraiser total. It is part of the funding that keeps rooms open, meals available and families together when treatment pulls them away from home.