By Ryan Dixon
Two weeks ago, The McDonalds Corporation’s net income rose from $1.23 Billion to $1.41 Billion. Most market gurus have the company’s total net worth in the ballpark of $15 Billion. Between the cost of the rooms at different Ronald McDonald Houses all over the globe and their Ronald McDonald Cares Mobile, McDonalds gives around $270 Million back to communities. Most of the company’s charitable work is through the Ronald McDonald House Charities, so when the McDonalds located at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and NE 4th Avenue had a school supply drive for the Kids In Need
Resource Center, I was a little taken back that such a large company was doing a fundraiser for someone other than themselves.
Ten McDonalds locations participated in this year’s drive for the Kids In Need Resource Center. The Center, which is run by the Broward Education Foundation as part of a national program sponsored by the School, Home, and Office Products (SHOPA) Foundation for Educational Excellence, allows for teachers from Title 1 schools to come and shop twice a year for school supplies for their classrooms and students free of charge. “This was our first time working with McDonalds” says Jorene Jameson, President and CEO of the Broward Education Foundation. “These donations allow our resource center to reach 6,000 teachers and over 200,000 students”.
Aside from the expected hierarchy from McDonalds and the Broward Education Foundation, Ivy and her crew from Power 96 were broadcasting live and calling in every fifteen minutes from the event. When asked what brought the station out today, Ivy said that “when it comes down to kids and charities, Power 96 and the Ronald McDonald House have always been together. So when McDonalds called and asked us to help, we were right on board”. Aside from calling in and getting their listeners to come out, the Power 96 team was interacting with the people in attendance giving out HD Radios if you could manage 100 yards in their football beanbag toss. “Everyone is doing their back to school shopping, and who isn’t broke these days?” she adds, “and the sad thing is kids these days still go to school without new clothes or even supplies, so it’s a good thing McDonalds is doing this and helping out, especially when it comes to the kiddies.” What more could you ask for from a station that does Radio Lollipop, headed up by DJ Laz,, every August from the Miami Children’s Hospital.
Capping off the day was an appearance by McArthur High School and University of Florida alumnus Errict Rhett.
Rhett played seven professional seasons in the NFLuntil 2000 after being taken in the second round with the thirty-fourth pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rhett, who’s the CEO of the Errict Rhett Foundation, said he came out to support the school supply drive because his charity, like this supply drive, supports education. “This area and many other low income areas need help like this. It’s nice to see McDonalds stepping up to do their part and I’m glad to be a part of it. A lot of these families out there can’t afford school supplies, and if it takes me and other athletes to come out here to get support then I’ll do it.” Rhett was a stand out in high school as well as college where he earned the Most Valuable Player award in the 1994 Sugar Bowl. When asked what felt better, winning that award or giving back to his city, he replied with a smile that “you can’t compare the two. The feeling I get when I win a game and when I give back are two different things. One is my job, the other is my passion”. We spoke for about ten minutes on his career in the NFL and the natural “what if’s” of every person’s career in anything. I’ve met and talked to many professional athletes, on the field and at events like this one, and Errict Rhett has to be the most genuine one I’ve met yet. To have your own business and charity and yet find time to support other people in your community is a true testament to one’s real inner character.
To help with the Broward Education Foundation’s continuous drive to supply teachers and classrooms, please visit www.browardedfoundation.net to see what they need and how you can help.