one child had heart issues and needed to be hospitalized. The family was able to stay at a Ronald McDonald House.
“ Most can’ t afford to stay at a hotel for an extended length of time while their loved one is in the hospital,” she said.“ And, the Ronald McDonald Houses are amazing; the environment and the helpfulness.” Lynann added that many people also do not realize that McDonald’ s restaurants are locally owned and operated.“ Most think we are just part of a large corporation,” she said.
The owners and their restaurants in the northeast Texas area do cooperate with other restaurants in the area for fundraising, through the Northeast Texas Cooperative. Lynann’ s comments were echoed by Jeaneane Lilly, who owns several McDonald’ s restaurants, along with her husband, Kevin.
“ All owners and operators in Texas support RMHC,” Jeaneane said.“ Donations to restaurants in the northeast Texas area support the houses in Dallas and Fort Worth through the Northeast Texas Cooperative.”
David Floyd, another owner-operator in northeast Texas, said local collection boxes, and the round-up campaign [ both in-store and on the mobile app ], support the houses in Dallas and Fort Worth. He said RMHC can also benefit from endowments and bequeaths.
“ My grandparents left the entirety of their estate to charity,” he said,“ a gift of close to half a million. Ronald McDonald House Charities benefited from part of that gift.”
Spring 2026 | Jacksonville Progress 21