[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 20375-20376]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES--TOP-RANKED CORPORATE CITIZEN FOR THE 
                           HISPANIC COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 2, 2000

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Ronald McDonald House 
Charities (RMHC), McDonald's owner/operators, and the McDonald's 
Hispanic Operators Association for their commitment to Hispanic 
American higher education. Their generous ongoing support of the RMHC/
Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources Scholarship 
Program (HACER) has just earned them an award from the Hispanic 
Scholarship Fund as one of the ``top ten . . . corporate citizens for 
the Hispanic community.''
  The RMHC/(HACER) provides scholarship assistance to promising 
Hispanic American college-bound students. Since its establishment in 
1985, it has awarded over $7 million

[[Page 20376]]

in scholarships to approximately 7,000 Hispanic American high school 
seniors. It is the largest high school-to-college program for Hispanic 
students in the country.
  This pioneering diversity effort was initiated by Richard Castro, a 
McDonald's owner/operator in my home district, El Paso, Texas. RMHC/
HACER now comprises 33 local programs, including a thriving El Paso 
program. All are jointly supported by RMHC, its local affiliates, and 
McDonald's owner/operators.
  RMHC/HACER addresses the very real need to increase the Hispanic high 
school graduation rate and Hispanic participation in our colleges and 
universities. Hispanic youth drop out of high school at a higher rate 
than any other major RMHC/population group. They also lag far behind 
their peers in college attendance and graduation. HACER provides 
Hispanic youth an incentive and a means to change these trends.
  RMHC/HACER is one of many ways that Ronald McDonald House Charities, 
with support from the McDonald's system, fosters and supports the 
educational aspirations of America's youth. The Hispanic Scholarship 
Fund award is a fitting recognition of an organization that truly gives 
back to the community and our nation.

                          ____________________