By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

McHappy Day making life easier for families at Ronald McDonald House

May 2, 2018 | 2:32 PM

On what is perhaps the happiest day of the year at your local McDonalds – McHappy Day – one local family is saying thank you.

Mike and Nicky Martel of Red Deer have four kids, including two who are of the littler variety.

Luke, 3, 13-month-old Ben and their parents went through quite the ordeal about a year ago.

To the family’s surprise, Ben was born with Down Syndrome. Thankfully, Ronald McDonald House, which benefits directly from McHappy Day, was available to step up and make the Martels’ lives easier.

“During a very difficult time, the house offered Luke a place to play and be a kid without a lot of interruption. It was very stressful for me as a mom to go back and forth to the hospital to make sure Ben was being fed,” Nicky recalls. “As a mom, you’re always picking everything up and then you’re put in a position where you can’t do that anymore.”

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Nicky says Ronald McDonald House was so hospitable, 3-year-old Luke felt like he was at Disneyland.

“They were there while we were trying to get Ben out of the hospital and get our heads wrapped around what just happened because it was a big shock,” she says. “The house made my life 100x easier. I am forever grateful and we look forward to giving back as Ben gets older.”

Rhanda Bonet-Graham, Fund Development Manager at RMH Central Alberta, says McDonald’s is the house’s biggest supporter.

“McDonald’s accounts for 25 per cent of our operating budget every year and that’s a huge portion of what we need to operate the house so that we can support families with sick children,” she says. “We are really grateful for this incredible day and for all the things they do for us.”

RMH Central Alberta offeres 11 private family suites and served 367 out of town families in 2017.

The Martels were one of 300 local families which utilized 916 day passes last year. Each family suite costs $173 per night to operate. Families are asked to pay a nominal fee of $12 per night.

On Wednesday, a dollar from every purchase of a Big Mac, Happy Meal or hot McCafe beverage was donated to local Ronald McDonald House locations.

To learn about volunteering or donating to Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta, visit rmhcsca.org.