In an ongoing effort to be good community stewards, the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators’ Association awarded $40,000 in Golden Grants to top education professionals this month at the Georgia State Capitol.
Established in 2018, the Atlanta-exclusive Golden Grants program is supported by local McDonald’s owner-operators. The grants provide a resource for teachers and other individuals who are committed to inspiring K-12 student learning.
“Our founder, Ray Kroc, always said you need to give back to the community in which we do business,” said David Hamilton, a McDonald’s owner and president of the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association. “We want to give back to the community, and the Golden Grants [program] is such an opportunity.”
The program was created by franchisees from across the Atlanta area. According to Hamilton, this the second year they have awarded grants.
“We put together $40,000 that we brought to the local education leaders and asked them to send in their applications,” he said. “We give out one $20,000 [grant], one $10,000 [grant], and 10 $1,000 grants.”
The Paulding County School District was awarded $20,000 for its Homeless Education Liaison Program (HELP), and the Newton County Foundation for Educational Excellence received $10,00 for its Literacy on the Move program.
During a special ceremony on Feb. 20 at the Georgia State Capitol, all the awardees were recognized by owners and operators of Atlanta-area McDonald’s restaurants, State Sen. Mike Dugan, whose district includes Paulding County, and State Sen. Brian Strickland, whose district includes Newton County.
Some of the local $1,000 grant winners include the Distinguished Gentlemen League in DeKalb County and The LIFE School in Fulton County.
