The Ronald McDonald House Charities have been a cause near and dear to the hearts of Tim and Chris Jenish, who own McDonald's in Estevan. Over the years, they've spent time on the board of directors and have helped raise a lot of money to support the houses that allow families to stay together while their kids are in the hospital.

Now, RMHC is showing their appreciation by honouring franchises around Saskatchewan who have put forward a special effort, and Chris and Tim are receiving some of that recognition. According to Chris, just being a part of that help for families is worth more than anything.

"I guess the easiest word is just to say heart rendering. Typically the circumstances are sad to begin with because their children are sick, but when you find out what the House does as far as support for them both physically and emotionally, it's very rewarding."

There are 12 families in Estevan who have used the services provided by RMHC in the last two years alone. While Estevan has always a supportive community when it comes to donations, Chris believes that a big reason their fundraisers have been so successful is that those families have been willing to share their stories.

"With McHappy Day, we usually had a family that would come in on the McHappy Days so that, not only ourselves but also the guests that come in have an opportunity to talk to them and they share their stories."

The Jenishs were a part of the RMHC Saskatchewan Board of Directors from 2004-2007, and according to Chris, that experience was an eye-opener. They got to see firsthand just how many things that RMHC does for families in tough situations.

"For Tim and myself, the Ronald McDonald House has always been very close to our hearts, along with the chance that we had to be on the board. It really gave us good insight as to what happens and it's just been a wonderful experience."

Thanks to community support from fundraisers put on by community organizations such as the Prairie Wind Motorcycle Club and the Estevan Bruins, there has been nothing success for the McHappy Day fundraisers put on every year. McHappy Day itself was cancelled last year due to COVID 19 but was replaced by a three-week campaign instead, but this year plans are already being put in place to return the fundraiser back to normal.

"We haven't heard yet, everything is kind of on hold of course with COVID, so we're just waiting to hear what the next step is going to be for us. I'm assuming there'll be something for McHappy Day this year, we just aren't sure what that's going to look like right yet."