The Graydon family, who own the Kirkland Lake McDonald’s Restaurant and New Liskeard McDonalds has teamed up with Ronald McDonald House Charities to donate
$25,000 to the Kirkland & District Hospital to ensure the Renovate A Room Campaign will include a Pediatric Ward. The local McDonald’s Restaurant raised more than $10,000 since McHappy Day 2007 by donating $0.10 from every coffee sold and Ronald McDonald House Charities topped up that money to bring total to $25,000, the money need for a children’s hospital room at the Kirkland & district Hospital. “Not only did we raise the funds for the hospital campaign, but we spread the word that McDonald’s is in the coffee business in a big way. Working with Mr. (Norm) Connelly and the Foundation Board members on this campaign has been fantastic. “It’s great to see a dream come to fruition and with the help of RMHC, it happened,” stated Darren Graydon from McDonalds. Norm Connelly of the Kirkland & District Hospital Foundation said, “this is fantastic news, we are finally going to have a children’s ward in our hospital that has all the amenities and features to meet the needs of children and at the same time make their stay in hospital as comfortable as it can be.” For nearly 35 years Ronald McDonald House Charities has been creating, funding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well being of nearly 3.7 million children worldwide. RMHC is making a global impact on the most pressing problems facing families today. The foundation’s approach is to think globally but act locally by tailoring their programs to address the most urgent needs of each community they serve. “Since 1999 the Kirkland & District Hospital Foundation has raised over $1,250,000 to purchase new equipment and improve hospital facilities.
“Projects like this to renovate our patient rooms and create a children’s ward would not be possible without the partnership we have formed with organizations like McDonalds, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Graydon family,” said Connelly. “RMHC came through when they were needed with this grant and we are happy to say we will be continuing to seek new opportunities to raise funds,” said Darren Graydon.