Thursday, May 16, 2019
VOLUME 1 I ISSUE 46
MERIDIANSOURCE.CA
SEE PAGES 19-30 FOR the SPRING INSIDE OUT HOME & GARDEN Special Section
Family smiles on McHappy Day GEOFF LEE
WRITER
.................................. The Crawford family from Lloydminster knows the importance of McHappy Day, held annually at all McDonald’s Restaurants in Canada, better than most. Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Saskatoon, supported this year by McDonald’s Restaurants in Saskatchewan on May 8, has become a second home for the family. The Crawfords have stayed overnight at RMH in Saskatoon a total of 78 nights since the day their youngest daughter Elaina was born four years ago with a congenital defect. “She has a condition called Goldenhar syndrome—we’ve travelled back and forth since the moment she was born, so she flew from Lloydminster within hours of being born and stayed in Saskatoon,” said Elaina’s mother, Elizabeth. “We were very excited to learn Ronald McDonald House was just across the street—we consider it our second home.” It was no wonder Elizabeth and her four children spent McHappy Day at the McDona l d ’s Re s t a u r a nt o n 5 0t h Ave. helping to drive sales for Ronald McDonald House
Charities Saskatchewan. McDonald’s locations in Saskatchewan donate $1 from the sale of every Big Mac, Happy Meal, and McCafe beverages for children’s charities including RMH in Saskatoon. Since 1985, the house has supported more than 23,544 families who pay a suggested fee of just $10 per night. “We couldn’t do without the support of cities like Lloydminster and all the other towns in Saskatchewan,” said Elizabeth, who noted her family will continue to use RMH for Elaina’s care. “This is a syndrome that is never going to go anywhere, so a lot of specialists are in Saskatoon. We love being able to go down and see all the people that we’ve gotten to know as a second family over the past four years.” McHappy Day also brought Tammy Forrester, CEO of Ronald McDonald Charities Saskatchewan to the Lloydminster McDonald’s. She says she had breakfast at McDonald’s in Saskatoon, lunch at MacDonald’s in North Battleford and planned to have supper at the Lloydminster restaurant in support of RMH. “We have several Lloydminster families every year that use the house,” said Forrester.
“This year 14 families from Lloydminster stayed in the house for a period of time.” Families can stay in RMH for whatever length of time their children are receiving treatment. Forrester says RMH supports families with a child 18-years-of-age or younger receiving medical support and live at least 40 kilometres from Saskatoon. Elizabeth notes Tammy was one of the first people she and her husband Ron, who works for the City of Lloydminster, met in Saskatoon the first time they arrived in November 2014. “I don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have that house down there; it’s just a great place to stay. I highly recommend it to anybody,” she said. She says when going away from home you want a safe, happy place to go at the end of the day, and that’s what Ronald McDonald House provides. This year was the first time Forrester has celebrated McHappy Day in Lloydminster. “It’s really good to see how all the other restaurants in the province celebrate and support McHappy Day, so this year Lloydminster was on our route,” she said. Forrester says the restau-
Geoff Lee Meridian Source You could say the Crawford family from Lloydminster was this year’s poster family for Saskatchewan’s McDonald’s Restaurants McHappy Day national fundraiser on May 8 in support of Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon and the Prince Albert Family Room. Pictured counterclockwise from top left are Elizabeth Crawford with her four-year-old daughter, Elaina, who is in need of follow up treatment in Saskatoon, Briah Crawford, 10, assistant store manager John Matias, Ethan Crawford 12 and Tammy Forrester, CEO of Ronald McDonald House. Charities Saskatchewan.
rant expects to top last year’s total of $3,000 when the numbers are crunched. John Matias, the assistant manager who was on duty for McHappy Day, sounded like a happy man himself welcoming all comers. “It’s pretty busy today,
everyone is excited for this day to help sick children at Ronald McDonald House Charities,” he said. He also got a lot of volunteer help behind the counter including local RCMP members and staff from 106.1 The Goat among many others.