$2,000 To Be Presented To Deserving Educators For Classroom Expenses Biweekly
by Mark Smiley
Contributions: A snapshot of what local McDonald’s contribute to the state economy.
Rocky Mountain McDonald’s Owner/Operators are once again providing K-12 teachers the opportunity to apply for $2,000 to improve the learning experiences for their students during the 2024-2025 school year. The program is going into its third school year. A class will be selected every other week when school is in session, equating to 16 school presentations per school year and $32,000 going to local teachers to help with classroom expenses. To date, the program has already awarded educators in the Rocky Mountain area $58,000. “
K-12 educators can apply for these funds through a simple application found by logging on to rmoa-one-class.squarespace.com. Those who apply should be prepared to answer the question, “How would you use this money to improve the learning opportunities for your students?”
“It’s a great program and I have been on the team all three years,” said Brian Boselli, McDonald’s Owner/Operator. “I have been part of a of couple presentations myself. It’s fantastic seeing the big smiles on the teachers faces. Our teachers do so much for the kids. Often times they need to spend some of their own hard earned money on school supplies. This is a way we can help them out.”
Local operators like Boselli are supported by The Ronald McDonald House Charities which have three locations in Colorado: Aurora, Denver, and Colorado Springs. “We work closely with local McDonald’s Owner/Operators in the region and are so grateful not only for the monetary donations they and their customers make each year, but also for their volunteer hours,” said Laura Cordes, CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Denver. “We often have volunteers from McDonald’s at our Houses helping serve dinner to our families, answer phones for our annual radiothon, and serve on our Board of Directors.”
McDonald’s Owner/Operators are residents who live and work in their communities, sending their kids to local schools and running their businesses just like any other small business. They employ over 13,000 people locally and make over $75 million in local supplier purchases annually, contributing to the local economy.
“Mile Hi Foods is a distributor within the Rocky Mountain Region for the McDonald’s brand and has supplied the local, Denver, owner/operator community for over
One Class At A Time: K-12 teachers have the opportunity to apply for $2,000 to improve the learning experiences for their students during the 2024-2025 school year through McDonald’s One Class a Time program.
100 years,” said Kristy Taddonio, President at Mile Hi Companies. “The company provides three hundred plus job opportunities, purchases goods such as fresh produce from Colorado farms and meats from local companies, and helps to reduce carbon emissions within the city as part of the McDonald’s and Mile Hi sustainability plan. Mile Hi Foods values its great partnership with McDonald’s and its relationship with the Colorado community.”
The local operators donate their time, food, and money regularly to community organizations and schools. McDonald’s Rocky Mountain region includes approximately 45 local franchisees who care about their communities where they do business and that’s how “One Class at a Time” was hatched: the desire to help where it’s needed the most. Overall, there are 200 McDonald’s in the state, employing over 16,300 people. All of them are locally owned and operated.
Local Owner/Operators have supported the Colorado Parent Teacher Association for over 18 years. They also support communities through their 27+ year partnership with the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and their Annual “Academy Awards” and Scholarships Event in Denver and their ongoing support of the Colorado Hispanic Chamber and their support of local schools, just to name a few.
For more information on the Ronal McDonald House Charities Denver, visit rmhc-denver.org.