It was the happiest of McHappy Days to date for Five Counties Children’s Centre.
The children’s treatment centre, which serves kids and youth with special needs in Peterborough, Northumberland, and Haliburton counties and City of Kawartha Lakes, is celebrating the amount raised during the recent fundraiser in Northumberland County.
Held last Wednesday (May 8) at the McDonald’s locations in Port Hope and Cobourg, McHappy Day raised $30,000 for two charities, including Five Counties Children’s Centre.
It’s the best result ever locally for the annual event. Every year, McDonald’s restaurants across Canada support local children’s charities by collecting donations and dedicating a portion of sales on McHappy Day.
Bill Eekhof, spokesperson for Five Counties Children’s Centre, shared with kawarthaNOW his thoughts on why the event was an unprecedented success.
“I think it was a combination of things,” Eekhof said.
“We were able to spread the word ahead of McHappy Day and on the actual day we had tremendous support from our volunteers, families, community partners and (Lisa Wilson, owner and operator of the two McDonald’s) and her entire McDonald’s team.
“I think something even more important is that we are fortunate to live in a very generous and supportive community,” Eekhof continued. “Despite how expensive everything seems to be these days, people still saw value in supporting two important kids’ charities in their community — Five Counties and Ronald McDonald House Charities — and came through in a big way.”
For this McHappy Day, three-quarters of the money raised in Cobourg and Port Hope — about $22,500 — will go to support the “Building Abilities for Life Campaign” at Five Counties Children’s Centre. The campaign helps to cover high-demand services like speech and occupational therapies at Five Counties, ensuring more kids can get the care they need in a timely manner, the children’s centre noted.
The remaining McHappy Day proceeds — around $7,500 — will go to support Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides out-of-town families with a place to stay while their child is being treated at a nearby hospital.
“McHappy Day was an amazing success, and we want to thank the incredible generosity of everyone who came out to support our kids,” said Scott Pepin, CEO of Five Counties, in a media release.
“We had wonderful support from our staff, volunteers, kids, families, partners, and supporters on McHappy Day. We also want to thank Lisa and her entire team at McDonald’s for selecting Five Counties to be the local charity to benefit from McHappy Day. The McDonald’s team members were gracious and enthusiastic hosts for the event.”
Meanwhile, Wilson said she is also “overwhelmed” by the results of McHappy Day.
“Every year, we look forward to McHappy Day, and once again our amazing communities in Port Hope and Cobourg have come through to show their support,” Wilson stated. “What a successful day, and we are so pleased to know that these funds will help Five Counties bring much needed treatment services to children and families in Northumberland County.”
Many supporters and organizations participated in McHappy Day. Those who took part included Five Counties families, staff, board members and volunteers, as well as representatives from Port Hope Police, Cobourg Police Service, Port Hope Fire Department, Cobourg Fire Department, Trinity College School, Bewdley Lions Club, area high school students, and many local residents.
Five Counties Children’s Centre has supported children and youth with physical, developmental and communications needs for nearly 50 years. Last year, Five Counties provided treatment services for more than 1,615 children and youth in Northumberland County.
In total, across its entire region, more than 6,200 children and youth benefited last year from the centre’s programs, which include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and other treatment services.
