McDonald’s donates to Salvation Army, Karidat, Rotaract

McDonald’s of Guam and Saipan and the Jose and Ruri Ayuyu Foundation donate $3,000 to the Salvation Army. Shown from left, Cinderella Bernal, Marissa Obtinalla, Fidel Palacios, Jessa Mae De Jesus, Marcia E. Ayuyu, and Wayne Gillespie. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)

McDonald’s of Guam and Saipan, in partnership with the Jose and Ruri Ayuyu Foundation, held the 2nd Annual McDonald’s of Guam and Saipan Golf Classic on Dec. 3, 2022, and raised over $30,000.

That allowed the Jose and Ruri Ayuyu Foundation to donate to Make-A-Wish in Guam and to the Salvation Army and Karidat on Saipan. The Rotaract Club of Saipan has also benefited, with the foundation also donating to the group.

“All three organizations greatly appreciate the donations and have plans on bettering the community. The Rotaract Club of Saipan has brought in volunteers during the 2nd Annual Golf Classic and The Jose and Ruri Ayuyu Foundation is very grateful for the support of the volunteers and have donated to Rotaract as well,” the foundation said in a statement.

Karidat executive director Lauri Ogumoro said the Karidat board of directors “and I are honored that you chose Karidat to receive $3,000 from the McDonald’s Charity Golf Tournament. …Karidat plans to use the proceeds from the donation to fill the gaps in our unfunded client-needs category. Unfunded client-needs encompass many things, from helping a [domestic abuse] survivor take back her name and get a new passport, emergency rental assistance for eligible families, or by restocking the Karidat food pantry in-between donations of canned food from the community. These are but a few examples of the kinds of requests for help our case workers hear from those seeking assistance from Karidat. We are ever so grateful for your support in these difficult times.”

McDonald’s of Guam and Saipan and the Jose and Ruri Ayuyu Foundation donate $3,000 to Karidat Social Services. From left, Fidel Palacios, Marissa Obtinalla, Cinderella Bernal, Marcia E. Ayuyu, Jessa Mae De Jesus, Aria Materum, and Luis Iguel Jr.

Karidat is the social services arm of the Catholic Church in the CNMI.

Richard Enrico Baleares of the Rotaract Club of Saipan said they are grateful and appreciative of everything McDonald’s has done. “As we are striving to improve, we have many upcoming events that will bring our young community together such as New Generation, hosting another gaming tournament, and Self Care Professional Development. We want to bring awareness to Rotaract because of the safe space it creates for people and you get to develop everlasting friendships and skills.”

The Rotaract Club of Saipan is a community service organization started in 2014 focused on bringing together people ages 18 and older. Its parent organization is the Rotary Club of Saipan.

McDonald’s of Guam & Saipan, locally owned by Jose and Marcia Ayuyu, is the leading food service restaurant chain in the Mariana Islands. McDonald’s of Guam and Saipan have served the local communities for over 50 years in Guam and 30 years on Saipan and remains one of the islands’ largest employers. (PR)

McDonald’s of Guam and Saipan and the Jose and Ruri Ayuyu Foundation donate $3,000 to the Rotaract Club of Saipan. From left, Richard Baleares, Marcia E. Ayuyu, and Arriane Antonio.