Bridging the Gap

oct20-114,oct21-205,oct22-151

total push ups and chins 128,875

weight 203.5 bf%22

We are doing our Bridging the Gap appeal for both the Ronald McDonald House in Northern and Southern Alberta. The "Gap" is the difference between the 12 dollars a night families pay for a room and the actual cost of providing the room for them. For Calgary the difference is about 180 dollars per room per night and for Edmonton it is about 110 dollars ( Calgary has a few more programs and supports for families). We are asking people and companies to help us bridge this gap. The first question people usually ask is doesn't McDonalds pay for the difference? The simple answer is "no". Both Houses have a licensing agreement with the charity arm of McDonald's- they are long term supporters of the Houses, and most houses are actually owned and operated by independent local boards and local charities. In Alberta the operators /franchisees split 50% of the money collected in the coin boxes in each McDonald's location between the two current Alberta Houses. This works out to about 100k per house per year. Pretty good money for nickels and quarters. The national chapter of the charity receives 10 cents from each Happy Meal sold in Canada. Half of this- 5 cents is divided between each of the 12 houses across Canada -this works out to another 100k per house per year. Once again not to bad for a bunch of nickels. Overall about 200k of support per year per house in Alberta. However the operating budget for Calgary is about 2.5 million per year and Edmonton is 1.5 million per year-so we rely on individuals and companies to help us make up the difference. If you'd like to help us bridge the gap-click on one of the house links to the right.Otherwise buy a Happy Meal or drop some coins in the McDonalds coin box. We could use your support.