For the last three months, the McDonald’s staff at the Lake Shore, Riviera Beach and Mountain Road locations have been asking each customer if they’d like to round their order total up to the nearest dollar to support The Ronald McDonald House of Maryland. Due to the overwhelming generosity of local customers, out of 430 area McDonald’s, the Riviera Beach restaurant was number one in funds raised, with Lake Shore following up at number two. All together, the three restaurants raised over $21,600.
“One-hundred percent of this went to The Ronald McDonald House,” explained Keith Zolman, who owns the three McDonald’s restaurants in Pasadena. “We want to thank the community, they have been so supportive, and we’re just so grateful.”
For the last 39 years, Ronald McDonald House of Maryland has enabled families with critically ill children to reside in comfortable housing in close proximity to their medical care. One such family in particular has been residing in Baltimore for the last five and a half months as their 17-month-old son undergoes surgery on his arm and hand. “The little boy was born with one of his arms shorter than the other, and his thumb was in the incorrect position. One of the only hospitals that performs the type of surgery to correct it is Sinai Hospital in Baltimore,” said Zolman. Because of the funds raised by the Pasadena McDonalds, the family has been able to have a “home away from home” near the hospital – at zero cost to them.
Recently, the Pasadena McDonald’s team received a special visit when the family, along with The Ronald McDonald House organization, stopped by to express their thanks. “She [the mother] was extremely grateful. They were able to stay in a nice new house right next to the hospital, eat three meals a day, and it cost them nothing. ” said Zolman. “This is all due to the overwhelming generosity of the Pasadena community.”
