Here's what happened in 2011!

Check out these events and promotions that took place throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region, and make sure to find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/mcdonalds) and follow us on Twitter @McDPhilly!

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Here's what happened in December!

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2011-2012 Ronald.McDonald.House Charities^® (RMHC^®) Scholarship Applications Were Available!

 

RMHC of the Philadelphia Region, Inc. grants approximately $83,000 each year to college-bound high school seniors from the Greater Philadelphia area based on demonstrated academic achievement, financial need and community involvement. The local RMHC Scholarship is comprised of 4 individual programs: the RMHC Scholars program; the RMHC/Future Achievers program for African American high school seniors; the RMHC/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources^® (HACER^®) program for Latino high school seniors; and the RMHC/Asian Students Increasing Achievement (ASIA) program for Asian high school seniors. Fifty-five total scholarships are awarded.

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Applicants were asked to submit a high school transcript, a letter of recommendation and a personal statement detailing their background and community involvement.  The scholarship deadline was January 27, 2012. To download an application or apply online, visit www.RMHC.org. For additional information, please call the Education Hotline at 215-790-4320.  

Dental Care for Qualified Kids Ages 1-8 at No Cost to Families throughout the year

Supported by RMHC^® of the Philadelphia Region, Inc., and operated by St. Christopher's Foundation for Children, the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile is a two-chair clinic on wheels that provides diagnostic, preventative and restorative dental care to qualified new patients ages 1 to 8 at no cost to their families. For appointments call (215) 427-8877.

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Care includes examinations, cleanings, fluoride and sealant treatments, x-rays and fillings. Care Mobile staff will also provide children with dental hygiene instruction. Complicated treatment will be referred. Children qualify for the program if their families are unable to find a Medicaid provider or cannot afford to pay for dental services. 2011 marked the 10^th anniversary of the Care Mobile.

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The Care Mobile Dental Program offers complete, continuous care and serves as a dental home for qualified children.

Here's what happened in November!

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Philadelphia McDonald's^® Restaurants Announced the Number of Toothbrushes Collected for the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile

In honor of October’s National Dental Hygiene Month and the 10^th anniversary of the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile, McDonald’s^.Restaurants in Philadelphia held toothbrush collection drives throughout October and collected more than 500 toothbrushes for the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile.  As part of the collection drive, customers who donated packaged toothbrushes received a coupon for a free Milk Jug.

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All toothbrushes collected benefitted the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile. McDonald's.kicked-off the collection with $100 worth of toothbrushes.

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Supported by the Ronald.McDonald House Charities^® of the Philadelphia Region, Inc., and operated by St. Christopher's Foundation for Children, the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile is a two-chair clinic on wheels that provides diagnostic, preventative and restorative dental care to qualified new patients ages 1 to 8 at no cost to their families.

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This year also marked the 10^th anniversary of the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile operating in the Greater Philadelphia Region.  Since 2005, the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile has treated more than 6,800 children in Philadelphia with services valued at nearly $2 million.  For appointments call (215) 427-8877.

Ronald.McDonald, the Ronald.McDonald.Care Mobile staff, and a family served by the Care Mobile, were on hand to accept the donated toothbrushes.

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Fall 2011 Ronald.McDonald.House Charities^® (RMHC^®) Grant Recipients Announced!

RMHC^.of the Philadelphia Region, Inc. grants hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to support local non-profit programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. In addition, RMHC supports four scholarship programs for high school seniors; the Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware Ronald.McDonald.Houses; the Ronald.McDonald.Care Mobile, operated by St. Christopher's Foundation for Children; and 13 Ronald.McDonald.Family Rooms in area hospitals.  The charity receives its support from McDonald's.Corporation, McDonald's.Owner/Operators, corporate donors and McDonald's.customers.  For more information, visit www.RMHC.org.

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Fall 2011 Recipients include:

1. Abington Memorial Hospital
2. Bancroft Neuro Health
3. Boys & Girls Clubs of Gloucester County
4. Boys & Girls Club of Vineland
5. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
6. Elm Street Hatboro, Inc.
7. Melmark
8. South Jersey Field of Dreams
9. St. Michael's School and Nursery, Inc.

Ronald.McDonald House Charities^® Recognized its 2011 Phone Bank Sponsors

On November 16, Ronald.McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region, Inc. held a “Thank You” Reception to recognize its 2011 RMHC Phone Bank Sponsors, which include:

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$15,000 Sponsors

Aberdeen Asset Management

ConEdison Solutions

ING Direct

Keystone Foods

Phil-Ad-Mac

Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company

Toyota Dealerships

Weather Trends 360

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$5,000 Sponsors

Anthony Sylvan Pools; Bohler Engineering; Pine Forest Camp, Lake Owego Camp and Camp Timber Tops; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Coca-Cola; Comcast-Spectacor Charities; Concannon; GEICO; Firstrust Bank; Herb Lotman; Jacob's Music; Kennedy Health System; KPMG, LLC; McCain Foods; McDonald's^® Corporation; Moroch; National Penn Bank; Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children; North East Foods; Philadelphia Insurance; Republic Services; Sanford Brown Institute; St. Christopher's Foundation; St. Christopher's Hospital; St. Mary's Medical Center; TD Bank; Tierney; UtiliChoice.

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The reception also officially kicked-off the 2012 “Change the Luck of a Child” Phone Bank, which will take place March 20 with help from our partners, CBS3 and the CW Philly.

McDonald's.Owner/Operators and Ronald.McDonald.recognized the 2011 Phone Bank Sponsors during the "Thank You" Reception.

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Here's what happened in October!

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MONOPOLY was back at McDonald's^®

The game you know and love had better odds than ever - 1 in 4 wins!  Customers could find MONOPOLY game pieces on their favorite classic menu items in restaurants from September 27^th - October 23^rd.  Playing the in-store game could have resulted in great prizes, including McDonald's.food, cash prizes, a vacation, a shopping spree and more.

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You could also join in the fun via foursquare!  Mention @McDPhilly when you check-in to a McDonald's, and if you become the Mayor of that location, you will win a prize for "monopolizing" that restaurant! 

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Try your luck to experience the thrill of the game!

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Philadelphia McDonald's^® Restaurants Collected Toothbrushes for Children in Honor of National Dental Hygiene Month

In honor of National Dental Hygiene Month and the 10^th anniversary of the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile, McDonald's^.Restaurants in Philadelphia held toothbrush collection drives throughout October.  As part of the collection drive, customers who donated packaged toothbrushes received a coupon for a free Milk Jug.

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All toothbrushes collected benefitted the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile and McDonald's.kicked off the collection with $100 worth of toothbrushes.  Supported by the Ronald.McDonald House Charities^® of the Philadelphia Region, Inc., and operated by St. Christopher's Foundation for Children, the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile is a two-chair clinic on wheels that provides diagnostic, preventative and restorative dental care to qualified new patients ages 1 to 8 at no cost to their families.

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This year also marked the 10^th anniversary of the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile operating in the Greater Philadelphia Region.  Since 2005, the Ronald.McDonald Care Mobile has treated more than 6,800 children in Philadelphia with services valued at nearly $2 million.  For appointments call (215) 427-8877..

Toothbrush collection drives were held in McDonald's^® Restaurants in Philadelphia throughout October's Dental Hygiene Month.

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Hispanic Choice Awards

McDonald's^® Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Regions, Inc. were proud to sponsor the 2011 Hispanic Choice Awards held Tuesday, October 11^th at the Kimmel Center. The 8th Annual Hispanic Choice Awards honored and celebrated Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware's favorite Hispanic people, organizations and businesses as chosen by its community in a variety of categories. The event promoted professional, personal and cultural achievements for Latinos living and working in our region.

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Bilingual College Workshop Came to Philadelphia

On Saturday, October 22^nd, McDonald's^®.and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund held a Bilingual College Workshop at Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School to provide parents and students with essential information on how to navigate the college application process.  The free Steps for Success College Workshop included seminars on managing the application process, applying for financial aid and researching scholarships, such as the RMHC^®/HACER^® Scholarship Program.

For more information, visit www.MeEncanta.com or call 1-877-HSF-INFO.

McDonald's.Owner/Operators lend a hand at the Bilingual College Workshop.

The Return of the McRib^®!

The legendary McRib^® sandwich was made available at participating McDonald's^® Restaurants starting October 24^th!

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To welcome back the McRib, McDonald's^.Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region, Inc. presented Mission McRib.to welcome back men and women who have been serving our country.  Troops and their families were invited to a kick-off event near McGuire AFB/Fort Dix to help us welcome back the McRib.and to say thank you for your service.  On the first day of availability (Oct. 24) and on Veterans Day (Nov. 11), members of the military could present their military IDs at McDonald's.and enjoy a free McRib.sandwich (at participating restaurants while supplies last, limit one per customer per visit). 

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Customers can also take part in the Man Vs. McRib.Challenge by tweeting a photo of their "Messy Mugs" from October 24^th to November 20^th to @McDPhilly for a free McRib.coupon.  The best "Messy Mugs" will be featured on a photo album on our facebook page. One lucky fan will be chosen as the best "Messy Mug" and will receive a $100 Arch Card!

The Mission McRib.event was held at the McDonald’s in Wrightstown, NJ.  Members of the military from nearby McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst joint base and their families attended the celebration, sampled the McRib.sandwich, and met Ronald.McDonald.  McDonald's.also donated $500 to Friends of Family Support, a foundation that offers support for the families of those serving our country overseas. 

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Here's what happened in September!

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MONOPOLY returned to McDonald's^®

MONOPOLY returned!  And the game you know and love has better odds than ever - 1 in 4 wins!  Customers can find MONOPOLY game pieces on their favorite classic menu items in restaurants from September 27^th - October 23^rd.  Playing the in-store game could result in great prizes, including McDonald's.food, cash prizes, a vacation, a shopping spree and more.

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You can also join in the fun via foursquare!  Mention @McDPhilly when you check-in to a McDonald's, and if you become the Mayor of that location, you will win a prize for "monopolizing" that restaurant!

McDonald’s.Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region held a MONOPOLY themed fundraiser for the Ronald.McDonald Houses of Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey in the home of Monopoly – Atlantic City, N.J. - to get each Ronald.McDonald House Director "out of jail."

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McDonald's^® Honored Local Restaurant Manager and Crew for Superior Summer Performance

As part of McDonald’s Super Summer Series, the McDonald’s in Bridgeton placed in the top four percent of all McDonald’s Restaurants in the Greater Philadelphia Region for summer performance. Restaurant Manager, Jill Keels, was awarded for her hard work in leading her crew to victory.  Restaurant Supervisor, Jerome Keels, and McDonald’s Operations Consultant, Tyrone Herron, were also recognized.  The entire crew will also receive a celebration for their hard work.

McDonald's.Owner/Operator Anna Ford-Keels celebrates with her crew on their outstanding performance in the Super Summer Series.

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McDonald's^® Crew Volunteered at Allentown YMCA YWCA

As part of McDonald’s.Community Ambassadors program and McDonald’s National People Week, local McDonald’s Owner/Operators and Crew performed garden maintenance at the Allentown YMCA YWCA. In addition, McDonald’s Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region donated $1,000 to the organization, which develops and empowers children, men and women to their fullest potential.

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McDonald’s.Community Ambassadors helped clean up and give back to the local Allentown community.

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Here's what happened in August!

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McDonald's^.Enhanced the Ronald.McDonald^® Summer Library Tour

McDonald's.Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region announced the return of the Ronald.McDonald Summer Library Tour. As part of the Tour, which debuted across the region in 2010, Ronald.McDonald attended four area libraries to perform his "It's Book Time with Ronald" show and made $1,000 donations to the children's sections of the libraries.

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In addition to the Tour, this summer's activities featured the introduction of the Ronald.McDonald Summer Reading Program. Eighty libraries across the region took part in the reading program, during which McDonald's.distributed bookmarks to children with memberships at each participating library. Once a child had read 10 books over the course of the summer, they were able to take the bookmark to their local McDonald's.to redeem it for a free Happy Meal™.

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Throughout the summer, as a component of McDonald's.commitment to sustainability, participating local McDonald's.restaurants held Recycled Book Drives to benefit local libraries. For more information, please call the Ronald.McDonald Hotline at 215-790-4352.

Ronald.McDonald presented a check to the Reading Public Library - Northeast Branch during his Library Tour.

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McDonald's^® Honors the Fightin' Phils with the New Phillies McFlurry^®

McDonald's.honored the Philadelphia Phillies and gave local customers a new treat with the introduction of the Phillies McFlurry!

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The Phillies McFlurry.has been cooling down fans this summer with soft serve vanilla ice cream and Phillies-branded M&Ms swirled in! 

The Philly Phanatic helped introduce the new Phillies McFlurry^® at a local McDonald's.on August 22.  GO PHILLIES!

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Here's what happened in July!

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McDonald's^® Announced New Mango Pineapple Smoothie Flavor!

McDonald's.gave Philadelphia customers a new, refreshing experience with the introduction of a third flavor to the McCafé Real Fruit Smoothie line: Mango Pineapple! .

The Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie flavor added yet another refreshing option to the McCafé Real Fruit Smoothie line, joining Strawberry Banana and Wild Berry flavors. Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothies are made just for you featuring an invigorating blend of real fruit, fruit juice and low-fat yogurt and blended with ice.

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Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie sampling stations were part of the McDonald's.FiestaTour Music Experience at Hispanic Fiesta on July 9^th-10^th at Penn's Landing. Attendees participated in games, viewed iconic memorabilia from Latin artists such as Celia Cruz, Enrique Iglesias, Juanes, listened to new artists and more.

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The Smoothie Fusion Tour also made a stop in Philadelphia on July 22^nd-23^rd to encourage McDonald's.customers to enjoy a refreshing moment by trying the exotic new flavor.

McDonald's^® celebrated Hispanic culture in July

McDonald's.Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region, Inc. helped celebrate Hispanic culture at the 31^st annual Hispanic Fiesta on July 9^th-10^th at Penn's Landing. .

The free, two-day event featured music, food, crafts and entertainment from Latin cultures.  Attendees sampled the new Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie, participated in games, viewed iconic memorabilia from Latin artists such as Celia Cruz, Enrique Iglesias, Juanes, listened to new artists and more.

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Hosted by the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, McDonald's.is proud to support diversity!

Hispanic Fiesta attendees struck a pose while sampling the new Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie.
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2010-2011 RMHC^® Scholarship Winners Were Announced!

RMHC of the Philadelphia Region, Inc. grants approximately $80,000 each year to college-bound high school seniors from the Greater Philadelphia area based on demonstrated academic achievement, financial need and community involvement. The local RMHC Scholarship is comprised of 4 individual programs: the RMHC Scholars^® program; the RMHC/Future Achievers^® program for African American high school seniors; the RMHC/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources^® (HACER^®) program for Latino high school seniors; and the RMHC/Asian Students Increasing Achievement^® (ASIA^®) program for Asian high school seniors. Fifty total scholarships were awarded. For a list of all of our 2011 scholarship winners, click here!

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Students have been honored at awards celebrations throughout the summer. For more information please call the RMHC Hotline at 215-790-4354.

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Here's what happened in June!

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Inspiration Celebration^®

McDonald's.2011 Inspiration Celebration^® gospel concert tour stopped in Philadelphia on Thursday, June 16^th at Deliverance Evangelistic Church. The free concert featured Grammy award-winning gospel artist Hezekiah Walker.

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In addition to meeting members of the Philadelphia Black McDonald's.Owners Association and Future Achievers scholarship recipients, attendees also had the chance to participate in the Ronald.McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®) love offering, benefitting the four local Ronald.McDonald Houses.

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For more information, please visit http://www.mcdonalds.urbanministries.com/

Local McDonald's.Owner/Operators attended the 2011 Inspiration Celebration^® gospel concert and participated in the RMHC love offering.

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Spring 2011 RMHC^® Volunteer Award and Grant Recipients Were Announced!

RMHC^® of the Philadelphia Region, Inc., recently held its first-ever RMHC Honors Volunteer Award nomination by giving all 2010 grant recipients the opportunity to recognize an outstanding volunteer within their organization.

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Drew Coyle, 81, a volunteer at the Philadelphia Ronald.McDonald House for 18 years, was the recipient of the 2011 award. He was presented with $1,000 in his name to his charity of choice, the Philadelphia Ronald.McDonald House, from the Ronald® McDonald House Charities and an additional $1,000 gift from the McDonald's.Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region.  In the true spirit of volunteerism, he donated his $1,000 gift to the Philadelphia Ronald.McDonald House.

 

Drew Coyle accepted his award with Ronald McDonald and representatives of the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House.

Here's what happened in May!

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McDonald's^® Introduced Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

McDonald’s added a refreshing new treat to its menu, allowing customers in the Greater Philadelphia Region to fuel their summer with a new blended-ice beverage. 

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To celebrate the launch of McDonald’s new McCafé Frozen Strawberry Lemonade beverage, participating McDonald’s Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region hosted sampling events for customers to try the new beverage and show their support for youth organizations in their community.

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Frozen Strawberry Lemonade is the perfect pairing of sweet and tart flavors, giving customers an any-time-of-day blended treat on the McCafé menu! .

Ronald.McDonald and McDonald's.Owner-Operator Bill Roberson presented a $500 check to the Southeast Youth Athletic Association (SEYAA) to support the teams this season.  SEYAA helped run a “Strawberry Lemonade Stand” where customers sampled the new McCafé Frozen Strawberry Lemonade at the Strawberry Lemonade Festival hosted at a McDonald’s in Philadelphia.

Here's what happened in April!

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McDonald's^® and its Franchisees Hired 1,700 Employees in the Greater Philadelphia Region

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Left to Right: McDonald's.Vice President of Operations Cedric Jones, Fox 29's Jennaphr Frederick and McDonald's.Owner Operators Danielle and John Dawkins hosted applicants at the McDonald's.of West Philadelphia. 

Here's what happened in March!

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Philadelphia Region Boasted Three 2011 McDonald's^® High School Basketball All Americans

The McDonald's^® All American High School Basketball Selection Committee announced the 34^th All American High School Basketball Boys Team and the 10^th All American High School Basketball Girls Team.

 

Congratulations to Rakeem Christmas of Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pa., who was named to the Boys East Team; and Briyona Canty of Trenton Catholic Academy in Hamilton, N.J. and Betnijah Laney of Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Del., who were named to the Girls East Team!

 

McDonald’s Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region hosted mini press conferences for elementary students in their respective areas before sending them off to the big game. Funds raised at each event went towards Ronald.McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®) of the Philadelphia Region, Inc.

 

For a complete list of players and more information on the McDonald’s All American Games and RMHC, please visit www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com.

Rakeem Christmas showed off his dunking skills to elemenary school students as they watched in awe.

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McDonald's^® "Shook Things Up" With New McCafé Shakes^® and the Return of the Shamrock Shake

McDonald’s Restaurants “shook things up” with the introduction of the McCafé Shake, which is currently available in restaurants and will change the way customers experience the traditional menu item. The McCafé Shake features the three classic milkshake flavors (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry) in a clear McCafé cup, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The announcement came in conjunction with the return of the Shamrock Shake, which was available to customers in stores March 1-31, with a portion of the proceeds from each Shamrock Shake^® sale benefitting Ronald.McDonald House Charities.^®

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To celebrate the McCafé Shake and the return of the Shamrock Shake, McDonald’s held a McCafé Shake “Social” Fundraiser from March 1-17. During the fundraiser, customers could check-in on foursquare at any restaurant in the Philadelphia Region and send their check-in to twitter with a @McDPhilly mention. For every check-in received, McDonald’s donated $1 to RMHC.  Each customer who participated in the “social” fundraiser received a “Be Our Guest” coupon for a free McCafé Shake.

The Shamrock Shake^. was available in stores March 1 - 31 and sales benefitted RMCH.

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Ronald.McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®) partnered with CBS3 and CW Philly to host "Change the Luck of a Child" Phone Bank

McDonald’s^.Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region hosted a “Change the Luck of a Child” Phone Bank on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at CBS 3 Studios. 

The event raised more than $600,000 for Ronald.McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.

Volunteers answered phones and recorded donations for the RMHC Phone Bank.

 

McDonald's^® Sponsored Senator Williams' Healthy Living Program

On March 3^rd, Chris Chong and McDonald’s sponsored Senator Anthony Williams' Healthy Living Program at Bartram Village in Philadelphia. As part of the sponsorship, McDonald’s displayed its “Farm Table” during the “Fast Food Eating Healthy on the Go” seminar.  Ronald.Uy represented Chris Chong’s organization and presented McDonald’s “What We’re Made Of”  nutrition facts to the attendees and engaged with Senator Williams and Michael Kelly, interim Executive Director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

Senator Anthony Williams; Ronald.Uy, McDonald’s; Shelia Rodriguez, McDonald’s; and Michael Kelly, Interim Executive Director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, attended the seminar.

 

2011 Spring Ronald.McDonald House Charities (RMHC^®) Grant Applications Were Available

RMHC of the Philadelphia Region, Inc. grants hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to support non-profit programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. Grant applications are reviewed each spring and fall for funding consideration. The 2011 Spring RMHC Grant application deadline has now passed.

Here's what happened in February!

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