20 May Meet Mark and Lydia Mines, McDonald’s Owner/Operators and an Alumni Family

“Many of the families were many miles away from home and would have been in an almost impossible situation, however, RMHC was there as always,” Mark Mines says of the time he and his wife Lydia spent at the Ronald McDonald House in Tampa when their son was born prematurely.

Mark, a McDonald’s Owner/Operator for 16 years, continues to hold the Ronald McDonald House Charities in his heart and created a culture of giving back to the RMHC into his restaurants.

“My absolute favorite part of being an operator is seeing the kids in the restaurant having fun, eating happy meals and enjoying being at the restaurant,” Mark says.

To pay it forward and support other families, Mark participates in Round-Up for RMHC in his eight stores. He gets his employees excited about Round-Up with internal competitions to raise money for the Ronald McDonald Houses.

The sense of community remains a favorite memory, Mark says. “The combination of the hospitality of the House and the comradery of all the occupants made the whole stay special.

“One such couple was a family about 100 miles away from the hospital. They had a sick daughter with a heart condition,” Mark recalls. “Because the couple did not speak English, my wife Lydia, who grew up in Puerto Rico, befriended them and helped them understand their doctor’s visits.”

“I don’t know if people fully understand how seamless the Houses make it to keep parents with their sick children,” Mark says.” I don’t know if they understand or think about the food, drinks, entertainment, and many other amenities that RMHC provides. Lydia was able to use the milk pumping machines for our son. This was really going above and beyond.”