Recognizing and honoring McDonald's USA, LLC and its 46 independent Owners/Operators in the City of Philadelphia for their continued dedication to the communities they serve, the people they employ, the charitable services they undertake, and the "Archways to Opportunity(r)" program which provides free English as a second language classes, a pathway to an accredited High School Diploma and tuition for College.

WHEREAS, McDonald’s® Restaurants are in 120 countries, with 36,000 restaurants worldwide, serving approximately 69 million people daily and employs over 1.7 million people; and

WHEREAS, McDonald’s and its independent Owners/Operators have provided, and continue to provide, resources and charitable contributions to the communities in which they serve and to the people they respectively employ; and

WHEREAS, On October 15, 1974, with the support from McDonald’s Owner/Operators, the world's first Ronald McDonald House was founded in Philadelphia and has since grown to a network of more than 359 Houses in 42 countries and regions; and

WHEREAS, For over 40 years, with the support of McDonald’s and its independent Owner/Operators, the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House has and continues to provide Philadelphians and families all over the world with a supportive place to stay while their children are in treatment; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia has two Ronald McDonald Houses, one located at 3925 Chestnut Street and the other at 100 E. Erie Avenue; and

WHEREAS, This year alone, McDonald’s and its independent Owners/Operators in Philadelphia, as well as surrounding areas, have helped raise over 1.1 million dollars for the local Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC®) of the Philadelphia Region; and

WHEREAS, In 2015, McDonald’s launched the "Archways to Opportunity" program which gives employees

who work at a company-owned or independently franchised restaurant,

the opportunity to improve English skills, earn a high school diploma, work toward a college degree and also helps these individuals develop an educational plan for success; and

WHEREAS, "English under the Arches®” is a program that teaches crew and managers the English language skills needed to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers, and in their daily lives; and

WHEREAS, The High School completion program is a nationally-accredited High School program available to restaurant crew and managers,

who work at a company-owned or independently franchised restaurant

to obtain a high school diploma at no cost; and

WHEREAS, The college access and completion program helps in many areas, including: tuition assistance for college courses at higher education institutions accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, and the McDonald’s employment training curriculum which carries the American College Credit (ACE) college credit recommendations which can be transferred to various colleges; and

WHEREAS, Nationally, over 819 restaurant employees who work at company-owned or independently franchised restaurants were awarded tuition assistance for high school, 3,346 were awarded tuition for college, 872 graduated from English classes and 308 completed advising sessions; and

WHEREAS, So far this year in Philadelphia, nearly 100 company or independent franchisee employees have, or are taking advantage of, the "Archways for Opportunity" program and that number is projected to triple by the end of 2016; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby recognize and honor McDonald’s USA, LLC and its 46 independent Owners/Operators in the City of Philadelphia for their continued dedication to the communities they serve, the people they employ, the charitable services they undertake, and the "Archways to Opportunity" program.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution shall be presented to Steven J. Kerley, Vice President and General Manager of the Philadelphia Region for McDonald’s® USA, LLC as evidence of the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body.

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