Gazette-Times reporter

McDonald's restaurants host fundraiser for 8-year-old girl with brain cancer

With a gleeful shout, Ronald McDonald bounded into the Ninth Street McDonald's and exclaimed, "Do you know why we're here?"

The room, packed with people munching French fries and slurping shakes, shouted back in response, "For Cricket!"

Tuesday night, the two Corvallis McDonald's restaurants, owned by Salvatore Muscardin, had some extra-special employees, and a special cause to celebrate. Both restaurants were donating 50 percent of their evening sales to the Sparrow Club for Garfield Elementary School third-grader Cricket Beebe, an 8-year-old girl fighting brain cancer. At the downtown restaurant, Mid-Valley Lions Club members helped out behind the counter. At the Ninth Street McDonald's, Garfield teachers and staff members worked beside McDonald's employees, serving hamburgers and passing out coupons for free DVD rentals.

Special education teacher Shirley Irwin was beaming as she worked behind the counter. She'd worked at McDonald's when she was 15. Irwin was thrilled to be cashier this time to help raise money for Cricket - especially because Cricket soon may be undergoing another brain surgery.

Irwin was proud that Garfield students have been working hard to raise money for Cricket through a variety of community service projects.

"They are learning appreciation for being healthy and for being able to give to someone who needs their help," she said.

C.J. McPhail, Portland regional director for the national Sparrow Clubs, which helps raise funds and distributes 100 percent of the donated money to Cricket and her mother, Jennifer, said that Garfield students have broken Sparrow Club regional records for the amount of volunteer hours they've contributed to raise money for Cricket. McPhail estimated that the students had donated more than 1,200 volunteer hours since mid-April.

"That's thoroughly impressive," McPhail said. Several businesses, including Valley Catering, donated money for each volunteer hour, equaling $10 per hour served. Donations continue to pour in, so McPhail said a total would not be known until all the proceeds were tallied. Tuesday's fundraiser was expected to also give the total monies raised for Cricket's medical fund a big boost.

Muscardin said he gave his McDonald's store managers an extra incentive to raise money for Cricket. Whichever store raised the most Tuesday night was going to receive a secret special prize.

"I love what we're doing for the Sparrow Club," Muscardin said. He added that it was a great treat for students to come into the restaurant and see their principal, Juan Baez, behind the counter.

"You never go to one of these events and not see people having a good time," Muscardin said.

To help

"Art With Heart": An art sale will take place at Garfield Elementary School on Tuesday, June 10. A viewing of the art, all created by third-graders at Garfield, takes place from 5 to 6 p.m. in the school gymnasium, with the sale beginning at 6 p.m. The art is priced, but donations are also being accepted. All proceeds benefit Cricket Beebe's medical account through the Sparrow Club.

For more information on Cricket's fund, see www.sparrowclubs.org.