Fundraising with Chicken Nuggets

On Wednesday March 12th, there were some new faces working at McDonald's on Valley Boulevard in Colton. The members of the McKinley Elementary School PTA, principal, and vice principal worked behind the counter at McDonald's during the third annual McTeacher night. Not only were they handing out cheeseburgers and french fries to guests, they were also raising money for students at their school. Julie Calderilla-Porter is a member of the PTA and works as a noon aide for McKinley Elementary School. She has been working at the school for 7 years and started volunteering because her children went there and was later asked to work there. In addition to her duties as a noon aid, Porter was on the scene photographing the event. The students advertised the event at their school for a couple of weeks and sent out reminders to the families before the event to raise awareness and encourage families to support the school. Porter says the money will, “Go to the students in schools and anything involved with children. It lets them enjoy school; the money might go towards a carnival, a field trip, or inviting guests to come out for an assembly. We like them to study, but we also want them to have a little bit of fun so it’s not so strict.” The event brought out a large turnout and Porter stated, “The event went well, I saw a lot of students with families. I loved that families were together, I loved that they were introducing me to their cousins, moms, sisters, brothers, dads, and even some grandparents. They were really excited to do that. We don’t normally get a chance to talk to them about their kids, and it gives us that chance.” McDonald's allowed school employees and PTA members to work behind the counter with the assistance of their employees taking and handing out orders through the window, while selling cookies throughout the restaurant. Porter shared, “I would just like to thank the parents who came out, they made a good donation to the school, and to the students, and especially the Principal and the PTA. I think the kids really enjoyed it, they talked about it for two days afterwards.”