McDonald鈥檚 on Fraser Highway in Aldergrove was bustling with joy on Wednesday, May 8.

It was McHappy Day, the happiest day of the year within the franchise, which concludes its week of fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House 鈥� a 73 bedroom house located near BC Children鈥檚 Hospital that provides accommodations for sick children and their families who travel long distances for care.

Funds also support a family room located in Surrey Memorial Hospital.

This year marks the 30th year of McHappy Day, and the Aldergrove restaurant has yet to miss one, said Alisha Hall, operations consultant.

Hall has been with McDonald鈥檚 for almost half her life, having started working at one of its restaurants when she was 15. This year was her consecutive 16th McHappy Day she鈥檚 attended and participated in.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a day where we get the opportunity to connect with our community and, really, it鈥檚 all about giving back,鈥� she said.

People could donate from $1 or more, but new this year, McDonald鈥檚 also accepted people鈥檚 donations by rounding up their order amount to the nearest dollar.

鈥淚n the current economic times that we鈥檙e in right now, we want to be able to give people the opportunity to contribute whatever they comfortable can, and being able to round up 10 or 30 cents is a great way to give back,鈥� Hall explained.

The event featured a pie-throwing contest, where brave employees volunteered for kids to toss pie at their face for a donation, various games where kids could win prizes, and a henna artist.

At the start of the event, 鈥淰IPs鈥� could have a tour behind the counter to see what goes on inside the McDonald鈥檚 restaurant.

In total, McDonald鈥檚 Canada raised a record-breaking $8.9 million this year, bringing the total raised over the 30 years to more $100 million.

READ ALSO:

IN OTHER NEWS: