NAPERVILLE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A McDonald's in Naperville is celebrating a major milestone.
It's been an exciting few weeks for the crew of the McDonald's restaurant on Route 59 in Naperville.
In August, this franchise location was where Ronald McDonald House Charities crossed the one million dollar mark in donations in one year, the first time that's ever happened.
Ronald McDonald Houses provide temporary lodging and resources for families who have children in the hospital and enable them to stay close to their children while they receive treatment
“We had a really big goal of trying to raise a couple million dollars this year in resources, in the Round-Up initiative…This particular store…in Naperville, they were the ones, they were the bell ringers, the drop of the change that got us to a million dollars,” said Holly Buckendahl, CEO of Ronald McDonald’s Charities.
Buckendal believes the achievement happened in part because of the restaurant franchise’s new Round-Up program.
“The average round-up for us here is 43 cents, based on the order. That 43 cents really adds up as we think about customers that go through the drive-thru, come in the restaurant,” Buckendahl said.
General Manager Nick Kory said it was quite the competition among the dozens of McDonald's franchises in the area.
“They had a store, one individual restaurant was sitting at the top of all the weekly numbers…for us to come out and have the one that got over the threshold to the million dollar mark, [it] was a huge accomplishment for us. It was another way for us to get the teams excited about getting our customers to contribute,” said Kory.
Last year, Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana McDonald’s franchises were just short, raising $800,000 for the charity in one year. Buckendahl hopes to raise $1.7 million by the end 2023.
Ronald McDonald House Charities have seven houses and three family rooms throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. Next year, it will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.
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