McDonald's® and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Host Free College Workshop in Los Angeles for Parents and Students

Free Bilingual Workshop to be held on November 13 at San Fernando High School

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Oct 26, 2010, 03:23 ET

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- McDonald's and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) join forces for the fourth consecutive year to present the McDonald's® Steps for Success™ College Workshop in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at San Fernando High School. The free bilingual college workshop is open to high school students and their parents. The day's activities include seminars on the college application process, applying for financial aid, and college scholarships, such as the RMHC®/HACER® Scholarship Program. The day concludes with a college fair featuring community colleges and four-year universities from the area.

"We understand how challenging the college application process can be and we want students and parents to know we are here to help," said Victor Quiroz, McDonald's owner/operator and chair of the Southern California chapter of the RMHC/HACER scholarship program. "These workshops offer the necessary tools and information needed to make that college dream a reality, and it is also a great way for students and their parents to become aware of all the available resources out there for them, such as the RMHC/HACER Scholarship Program."

The workshop will introduce students and parents to scholarship programs, such as RMHC/HACER, a program of Ronald McDonald House Charities® and its local U.S. chapters. Launched in 1985, RMHC/HACER is one of the largest educational scholarship programs in the country, having provided more than $20 million in scholarships since its inception. In the latest expansion of the program, four RMHC/HACER national scholarships of $100,000 each were established to be awarded to deserving high school graduates. This is the third consecutive year that the RMHC/HACER national scholarships are awarded.

"Many of these children will be the first in their families to go to college," said Frank D. Alvarez, President and CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. "Our goal is to provide parents and students with the essential tools to help guide them through the college admission process."

More information regarding RMHC/HACER and the McDonald's Steps For Success College Workshops can be found on www.MeEncanta.com.

About McDonald's

McDonald's USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from 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 local business men and women. Customers can now log online for free at any of the 11,000 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter (@McDonalds) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McDonalds) for updates on our business, promotions and products.

About RMHC

Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Its programs are grassroots-driven to enable the Charity to offer help where children need it most: right in their own communities. RMHC makes an immediate, positive impact on children's lives through its global network of local Chapters in 52 countries and regions and its three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House®, Ronald McDonald Family Room® and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®. RMHC and its global network of local Chapters have awarded more than $460 million in grants and program services to children's programs around the world.

About Hispanic Scholarship Fund

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund's (HSF) mission is to strengthen America by advancing the college education of Hispanic Americans. The organization delivers a range of programs to Hispanic families and students through community outreach and education, affordability via scholarships, college retention and career opportunities. HSF supports a successful path for Latinos to attain a college degree - creating an increasingly valuable asset for a stronger more competitive America in the 21st century. Celebrating its 35th year, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has awarded over $300M resulting in close to 100,000 scholarships to students in need. For more information, go to: www.HSF.net.