CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — You may have noticed the words “Share the Love” plastered across local McDonald's Restaurants. That "Share the Love" campaign has just raised $58,638 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities South Texas in Corpus Christi.
“I actually thought about just wanting to reach out and say thank you to the people that actually donate and pour into this facility because it’s a really beautiful thing. I appreciate them and everybody that’s associated with them,” Tyshawnna Corley said.
It’s families like Corley’s that benefit from donations such as this.
She came from Las Cruces, New Mexico, to help her younger brother, God Coleman.
“I'm making a lot of sacrifices, mostly for my mother. I’m taking care of a lot of my siblings. So, this is my little brother right here, and he currently had heart surgery last week,” she said.
Corley said the Ronald McDonald House has taken a weight off her shoulders by providing them a place to stay, food and everything in between that they need.
“We operate 365 days a year. We never shut our doors because our families and their children’s healthcare is their top priority," said Michelle Horine, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities. "As an organization locally, all the funds that are raised here stay here to support our operation, which costs about $2 million a year to operate.”
The "Share the Love" campaign included 77 McDonald's restaurants from Brownsville, Texas, to the Coastal Bend.
“Every time that you go through a drive-thru at McDonald's or drop a coin in the canisters, all of those funds come to support this Ronald McDonald House,” Horine said.
“This year for Valentine's Day, we actually stepped it up and did a donation of our sales. So, it's something we hope to build on year to year," Ed Lutito said, co-op president of McDonald's South Central Syndicate Co-op. "You know, the kids, it just touches your heart when you come and see them. So, it’s something that we definitely want to continue to do.”
As for how God Coleman is doing, he may get to go home within the week.
“They thought we would actually be in Ronald McDonald's house for four weeks to four months, but he pulled through in like four days. And they’re like, he’s ready to go,” Corley said.
Corley met other families in similar situations. She said it's been easier talking to people going through the same thing.
"We all got different stories, but we all agree on — this is helpful," she said.
Ronald McDonald House is always accepting monetary donations and volunteers. For more information, you can find it here.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
