The franchise owner-operator of 56 McDonald’s restaurants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware has donated $400,000 to support education initiatives in Central Pennsylvania.
Stephanie and Christian Rawden, owner-operators from Rawden Joint Ventures, recently made the donations to support four institutions dedicated to academic excellence, inclusive learning, and community arts engagement in the region.
One of the recipients is Berks County’s GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, which was presented with a donation of $150,000.
The Rawdens’ donation reinforces their ongoing commitment to strengthening youth education and expanding access to meaningful learning experiences, particularly those that empower students through creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on exploration, according to a press release.
“Creativity plays a vital role not only in the classroom but in everyday life and in the workplace,” Stephanie Rawden said in a statement. She added that fostering imagination and problem‑solving can help shape future leaders — something Rawden said she witnesses frequently within her own McDonald’s teams.
In addition to GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, donations were made to the following area organizations:
• $100,000 to Harrisburg Academy — Wormleysburg• $100,000 to The Janus School — Mount Joy• $50,000 to the Lancaster Country Day School — Lancaster
Among the 56 McDonald’s restaurant owned by Rawden Joint Ventures are five locations in Berks County — in Reading (2), Wyomissing, Hamburg and Leesport; and three locations in Chester County — in Kennett Square, Jennersville and Oxford.