EVA LONGORIA NAMED AS McHAPPY DAY AMBASSADOR

Australia, September 2021: Actress, director and entrepreneur Eva Longoria will be this year’s McHappy Day Ambassador, with the annual McDonald’s fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) confirmed to take place on Saturday, November 13.

Now in its 30th year, McHappy Day raises much needed funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities, which helps seriously ill and injured children and their families stay together and close to the care they need while undergoing treatment or surgery in hospital.

Longoria, who follows in the footsteps of past ambassadors Eva Mendes, Katie Holmes and Naomi Watts, said she is looking forward to raising awareness of such a deserving charity on McHappy Day.

“I am so proud to be the 2021 McHappy Day Ambassador and hope to inspire Aussies to support the invaluable work of Ronald McDonald House Charities,” Longoria said.

“Family is everything and I’ve seen firsthand what a strong support system can do. This fundraiser by McDonald’s is vital to help keep families together while their children are seriously ill and undergoing treatment and also provide the infrastructure they need to be supported during such unimaginable circumstances.”

A highly sought-after director, Longoria will soon make her feature directorial debut with the upcoming film, Flamin’ Hot, with two other key projects on the horizon.

Just as much as she is celebrated for her work behind the camera, Longoria is a beloved actress who captured audiences with her starring role in award-winning TV series, Desperate Housewives. Longoria was most recently seen on the big screen in the Emmy-nominated jazz era film Sylvie’s Love, while she voiced Carol Templeton in Boss Baby 2. Other credits include Grand Hotel, Jane the Virgin, Empire, Devious Maids, Telenovela, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Young and the Restless, and Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which she filmed in Australia.

Off screen, Longoria is a dedicated philanthropist who has consistently lent her voice to the causes she’s passionate about. In 2006, she co-founded not-for-profit Eva’s Heroes, which operates out of San Antonio, Texas and is dedicated to enriching the lives of those with intellectual special needs.

McDonald’s started McHappy Day in Australia in 1991 to help raise essential funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities. There are now 18 Ronald McDonald Houses nationally, with the charity caring for over 60,000 families every year.

Ronald McDonald House Charities CEO Barbara Ryan said this year’s McHappy Day will be as important as ever.

“Over the past year, our staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to provide a safe environment for some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Ryan said.

“McHappy Day is such an important occasion for our charity and we’re delighted to have the passionate and inspiring Eva Longoria on board as the McHappy Day Ambassador to help raise awareness of the fundraiser.

“Over the past 30 years, the McHappy Day family has helped raise over $56 million to keep Australian families of seriously ill and injured children together in their time of need and we’re calling on everyone’s support again this year to continue to help when it’s needed most.”

In addition to providing a home away from home, Ronald McDonald House Charities also runs Family Rooms, Family Retreats and a national Learning Program to support families through their child’s challenging hospital journey.

Australians can support this year’s McHappy Day fundraiser by:

• Picking up a pair of $5 Silly Socks, or Helping Hands for $2, $10 or $50 from Wednesday, October 20 from their local McDonald’s or via McDelivery.

• Buying a Big Mac on Saturday, November 13, from their local McDonald’s or via McDelivery, with $2 from every Big Mac sold going directly to RMHC.

• Making a donation online by visiting www.rmhc.org.au/give

  - ENDS -

  For interview requests with Eva Longoria or a McDonald’s representative, please contact: Jordan Laing on jordan@enthral.com.au or 0422 074 191.

  For interview requests with RMHC CEO Barbara Ryan, please contact:

  Laura Durand on laura.durand@thisismango.com.au or 0451 969 108.

  Notes to editors:

  Key Dates:

• McHappy Day fundraiser begins on Wednesday, October 20.

• McHappy Day is being held on Saturday, November 13.

• Eva Longoria will be lending her support for McHappy Day virtually from the US due to travel restrictions.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent charity that helps seriously ill children and their families.

The cornerstone program of RMHC, the Ronald McDonald House, provides a ‘home away from home’ for families of seriously ill and injured children being treated at nearby hospitals. The Houses keep families close by giving parents and siblings the opportunity to stay together to support their sick loved ones. RMHC currently has 18 Houses throughout Australia accommodating more than 10,000 families annually.

Other programs include the Ronald McDonald Family Room Program which provides a relaxing haven within hospitals giving families a break from the stress of many hours spent by their child’s bedside and The Ronald McDonald Learning Program which currently helps an average of over 1,100 children on any given week catch up on missed schooling following a serious illness.

Additionally, The Ronald McDonald Family Retreat Program provides families with seriously ill children a week’s free accommodation at one of five family retreats across Australia, enabling them to reconnect and enjoy a holiday when they most need it and can least afford it.

About McDonald’s Australia

Australia’s first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Yagoona, Sydney, in 1971. Today there are more than 1,000 McDonald’s restaurants across Australia, nearly 85 percent of which are franchised and run by local businessmen and women. The organisation employs more than 107,000 people in restaurants and corporate offices Australia-wide and is the largest employer of youth in the country. McDonald’s creates more than 3,000 new jobs each year and spends over $40 million per annum on training and people development. For more information visit www.mcdonalds.com.au or www.facebook.com/McDonaldsAU. McDonald’s is also on Twitter – check us out at Twitter.com/maccas.

Further information on Eva Longoria

Committed to empowering Latinas everywhere, Longoria established the Eva Longoria Foundation (ELF) in 2012 to help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through educational programs, scholarships, mentorship and entrepreneurship. Additionally, in 2019, Longoria launched Poderistas alongside several other prominent Latina activists. Podersitas is a new digital lifestyle community and media platform that inspires, affirms, and informs Latinas to leverage their power in a way that transforms their lives, families and community.