Four College-Bound Hispanic Students Receive $100,000 RMHC®/HACER® National Scholarship To Achieve College Dreams

OAK BROOK, Ill., July 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Four Hispanic high school seniors will have their dreams of a college education become reality thanks to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®), with the support of McDonald's® Hispanic owner/operators. The charity will award these college-bound students an RMHC®/HACER® National Scholarship of $100,000 each to help finance their college education.

"We know students across the country are working hard to pursue their college dreams, but the expenses can often be a great burden," said J.C. Gonzalez-Mendez, president and CEO of RMHC. "For this reason, we are proud to support four outstanding Hispanic students with the RMHC/HACER National Scholarship award."

This year's scholarship recipients are Ramon Castillo, Brooklyn, N.Y.,; Rico Lizbinski, Gaithersburg, Md.,; Bryan Peacker, Orlando, Fla.,; and Gabriela Lomeli, Palmsdale, Calif.,. The RMHC/HACER National Scholarship is based on students' academic achievement, community involvement and financial need.

Established in 1985, the RMHC/HACER Scholarship was founded by McDonald's® owner/operator Richard Castro of El Paso, Texas, with the support of RMHC, McDonald's Corporation, and local McDonald's Hispanic owner/operators throughout the country. Castro, a former educator, established the scholarship, which stands for Hispanic American Commitment to Education Resources, after noticing increasing school drop-out rates among Hispanic students due to financial difficulties. To date, RMHC has awarded more than $24 million in scholarships to outstanding Hispanic students.

In 2008, with the support of Hispanic McDonald's® owner/operators, the national scholarship was established, offering four $100,000 awards to Hispanic high school seniors. Since then, the national scholarship has provided $2.7 million in financial assistance to 27 students across the country.

Each year, the national winners are selected from thousands of applicants. The rigorous process includes a completed application, essay and interviews with a distinguished panel of judges representing academia, business, media, RMHC and McDonald's.

"RMHC and McDonald's demonstrate a truly admirable commitment to the education of our Hispanic community in the U.S.," said Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr., president of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute and past judge for the RMHC/HACER Scholarship. "With the help of this scholarship, four well-deserving Hispanic students will have the opportunity to grow and learn, and most importantly, continue to better themselves and their communities."

Past scholarship recipients have attended prestigious universities, including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and continued on to careers in the medical, engineering and business fields, among others.

RMHC/HACER Scholarship applications become available each fall and awarded students are notified in the spring to coincide with college acceptances. Applications for the upcoming 2015 scholarships will be made available in October 2014.

About RMHC®
Ronald McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of children. Through its global network of local Chapters in 58 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House^®, Ronald McDonald Family Room^® and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile^®, and millions of dollars in grants to support children's programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-operated and supported programs provide access to quality health care and give children and families the time they need together to heal faster and cope better. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org, follow us on Twitter (@RMHC), or like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/RMHC Global).

About McDonald's®
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates on our business, promotions and products.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jenina Nunez
McDonald's USA
[email protected]
630-623-2069

Natalie Asorey
BodenPR
[email protected]
305-639-6770

Jaime Botello
Porter Novelli
[email protected]
310-444-7020

SOURCE McDonald's USA, LLC