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Busselton McDonald’s Cape to Cape hike doubles fundraising goal for Ronald McDonald House Charities

Taylar AmoniniBusselton Dunsborough Times
Thirty-five participants laced up for the Hike for the House fundraiser.
Camera IconThirty-five participants laced up for the Hike for the House fundraiser.

The Busselton Hike for the House has raked in $60,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities — doubling the event’s fundraising goal.

The three-day hike along the Cape to Cape walk — founded by Megan McMullen, Trina Eagles and Amanda Smith, the wives of the South West McDonald’s licensees — is in its third year.

With participants coming from all corners of the country from WA to NSW, the 35 hikers originally aimed to raise $1000 each, but surpassed that sum to bring in more than $60,000 to go towards Ronald McDonald House Charities.

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Ms McMullen said the hike began after the women gathered to find a unique way to raise money and awareness for the facility which accommodates the families of sick kids in Perth during hospital stays.

“My goal, as with anything we do for Ronald McDonald House, is to raise awareness of what’s available to families if they are faced with the situation where a child is seriously ill and they need to have lengthy stays in hospital,” she said.

“The reason why it’s so important in the South West is because regional families are the ones who often are unaware of the house and they are more often than not the ones who have to spend extended time away from home.”

While her family haven’t had to use the Ronald McDonald House, Busselton McDonald’s employee and hike participant Ethan Lauro and his family were there 15 years ago.

At just two years old, Ethan underwent treatment for brain cancer, leaving him with less than a 10 per cent chance of survival, and his family stayed at Ronald McDonald House.

Now working for an organisation he shares such a positive history with, Ethan and his mother have become close friends of Ms McMullen and have participated in every hike since its inception.

To donate to Hike for the House, contact fundraising. wa@rmhc.org.au or phone 9346 9000.

To donate to Ronald McDonald House, visit rmhc.org.au/donate.

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