JUNIOR DRAGSTER AND WILLOWBANK RACEWAY FRONT UP FOR MCHAPPY DAY
15 October 2015
This Saturday (17 October) Willowbank Raceway and Dazza’s Steel Fabrication Racing will be on-hand at McDonald’s Springfield Lakes to celebrate McHappy Day.
Eight-year old Corey Fry will be bringing along his Dazza’s Steel Fabrication and Hi-Tech Oil supported Junior Dragster to what is his local McDonald’s as part of the restaurant’s McHappy Day festivities.
This year McHappy Day is aiming to raise a record breaking $3.4 million for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) which equates to providing a bed for around 25,000 nights for Australian families at one of the 16 Ronald McDonald Houses across Australia.
He will be joined on-site by his dad – professional Top Alcohol racer Darren Fry – with the pair very excited about chatting to restaurant goers and spreading the word about McHappy Day, while signing autographs and talking all things drag racing.
“I am very excited about McHappy Day as I love McDonald’s and helping sick kids. McHappy Day is important as it helps mums and dads stay near the hospital when their kids are sick – if I was sick, I would want my mum and dad with me,” said the grade three student of The Springfield Anglican College, who is currently recovering from a broken arm incurred while playing beach soccer.
“I have told my friends in my class that I am going to be at McDonald’s and they told their mums and dads to come and see me and my dragster. I love that I get to drive fast and make lots of friends with kids all over Australia, and being a drag racer like my dad.”
For Corey’s father Darren, it is a proud moment to see his son following in his footsteps and wanting to make a difference to families dealing with severe illness.
“It is an awesome feeling having my son follow in my footsteps and to be able to share this as a family is fantastic,” said Darren Fry.
“McHappy Day is important to me, as being a dad myself I would like to think that if my own children were sick that I could stay close to them and be able to be there for them when they needed me most. I am looking forward to this weekend playing a small part in helping make it easier for families that are facing difficulties, and to meeting members of our community.”
ABOUT MCHAPPY DAY
Now in its 25th year, McHappy Day has raised over $28 million for RMHC with funds going directly to supporting RMHC programs and services in the following ways:
- Since 1981 the Ronald McDonald Houses have collectively provided over 96,000 families with over 2.7 million bed nights
- In Australia RMHC’s programs help over 25,000 families each year
- In 2014 three new family Rooms opened, with a further seven Family Rooms planned to open in the next five years
- In 2014 plans for three new Houses in Perth, Brisbane and Westmead started
Supporting McHappy Day is easy – Australians can simply drop in to one of over 940 McDonald’s restaurants to buy a Big Mac, a pair of Ronald Socks for $3 or a $1 Helping Hand ($2 from every Big Mac and all Helping Hands and Ronald Socks sales will go to RMHC). Every dollar raised makes a big difference to the lives of seriously ill children and their families. Those who can’t make it into a McDonald’s restaurant on the day can donate online at www.rmhc.org.au/mchappyday.
ABOUT WILLOWBANK RACEWAY
Willowbank Raceway is Queensland’s premier drag racing facility, located 45 minutes from Brisbane or just a short drive from Ipswich, offering a year-round program of events for the entire family. For more information including a full event calendar, please visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au