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closeHarbor Heights McTakeover fills appetites, funds
Teachers, others raise $800 for PTA in two hours at McDonald’s
Nate Hulings
of the Gateway
If you were to have walked into the Olympic Village McDonald’s last Thursday evening, you might have thought it was giving away free food.
Lines of people went through the door, and the atmosphere was full of bright, cheery patrons. People waved and hugged each other as they took in the smell of fresh French fries.
But they weren’t in line for a free burger; this was a McTakeover that gave back to the students at Harbor Heights Elementary School.
For two hours, 25 percent of the sales of each order went directly to the Harbor Heights PTA. The goal was to raise funds for school programs and equipment, and — after the final order was placed — the PTA wound up raising $800.
It wasn’t just McDonald’s employees who helped the hungry customers. Fifteen Harbor Heights teachers and administrators donned red aprons and helped greet, clean tables and pour drinks for the multitude of hungry students and parents.
They included Mary Godwin-Austin, Harbor Heights’ principal who was a designated table cleaner for the evening.
During last year’s McTakeover, Godwin-Austin helped fill drink orders. The fast-food scene is something familiar for her — she once worked at a Jack in the Box and still remembers all the lines she recited while she worked at the drive-up window, including, “Would you like a shake with that?”
The evening’s success couldn’t have happened without a contingency of engaged parents.
“We have such great support parents,” Godwin-Austin said.
The fast-paced nature and hard work required in the business is something Godwin-Austin respects.
“We really do appreciate all the people that work here,” she said.
The Kendall family, including Harbor Heights kindergartener Casey Kendall, was among some of the first in line.
His order?
“A cheeseburger, fries, no pickles, no onions,” he said.
After they placed their order, the family sat down in the ever-crowding restaurant and enjoyed helping out the school while they ate a tasty meal.
Another McTakeover volunteer was first-grade teacher Joan Ahre. When she wasn’t giving out hugs or waving to her students, she was cleaning and helping out around the restaurant.
The line that snaked through the restaurant and out the door is a testament to the parents’ commitment to the school, Ahre said.
“We have the best parent support at our building,” she said. “It’s great to connect not just on school turf.”
Most of the volunteers were teachers, since that’s who the students wanted to see in red aprons.
This was the school’s second year in a McTakeover fundraiser. Last year, the PTA also raised about $800 in the two-hour time slot.
The PTA also sold coupon books and received 40 percent of those proceeds.