Long before it became fashionable for companies to associate with causes, before the packaging on products in supermarket aisles were dotted with pink ribbons, before cashiers asked if you wanted to add a toonie to your purchase in support of that retailer’s charity of choice … there was McDonald’s McHappy Day.

This May 2nd, McHappy Day turns 35 years old. Since 1977, the national one-day fundraising event has raised more than $35 million for RMHC®, the Ronald McDonald House® program and local children’s charities across Canada.

$35 million is such a large number –so impressive but almost too large for most of us to fathom. But break it down into smaller, more tangible pieces and you can start to really appreciate what McHappy Day has and continues to achieve.

Think about the number of families who have stayed at a RMCH while their ailing children were in the hospital: the community and support the RMCH staff and volunteers have provided those families, the sense of a home away from home,  a short but needed respite from the hospital halls where moms and dads can recharge and recapture their sanity, the costs savings  … the benefits are endless and mostly immeasurable.

With all the great and compassionate services McDonald’s McHappy Day has brought to thousands of everyday people since 1977, I really think it should be come a national holiday — best celebrated with a Big Mac and fries.

 

DISCLAIMER:

I am participating in the McHappy Day Blogger Program by ShesConnected. A donation in my name was made to Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada in exchange for my participation in this campaign. All opinions are honest and always my own.*