MCDONALD'SŪ PARTNERS WITH LOCAL MINORITY NON-PROFIT TO PROMOTE HIGHER EDUCATION

PHOENIX – July 20, 2010 – In an effort to promote higher education and its local scholarship program to Hispanic high school students, McDonald's of Phoenix and Northern Arizona recently partnered with AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute, a local non-profit organization dedicated to increasing high school graduation and college admission rates for Arizona Hispanic high school students.

AGUILA focuses on preparing student participants and their families with the necessary tools and knowledge to become college bound, and supports students during the process.

"At a time when attaining a college education may appear even more difficult, given our economic crisis, it is especially important to create partnerships that realize the goal of a college degree for many of our students." said Rosemary Ybarra-Hernandez, chief executive officer and founder of AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute. "We are thrilled to partner with McDonald’s in support of our youth and the future of our communities here in Arizona."

A component of the partnership is promotion of McDonald's Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Scholarship Program which awards $250,000 annually to Arizona high school students in need. McDonald's will provide AGUILA student participants with scholarship information about the RMHC Scholarship during workshops and events.

"We are excited about our new partnership with the AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute, and we look forward to working with them to help promote the importance of higher education amongst Arizona Hispanic high school students," said Shane Thompson, president, McDonald's Phoenix/Northern Arizona Owner/Operator Association. "For many years McDonald's has provided local students with scholarship opportunities to further their education, and this new partnership provides us another avenue to support education in this state."

McDonald's remains committed to supporting education across multiple platforms in Arizona including a variety of grant programs benefitting Arizona teachers and students which includes The Readers are Leaders Program, The McDonald's Classroom Supply Grants, and The AZ PTA Go Active Awards.

These programs provide opportunities for schools to purchase new books, classroom materials and physical education equipment for students. In addition, each year the McDonald's corporation hosts a number of college preparation workshops throughout the United States to provide Hispanic high school students and their parents resourceful information about the college preparation and application process.

For more information about the AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute program, events, leadership workshops or volunteer opportunities, visit their website www.aguilayouth.org.