McDonald’s joins Hispanic Scholarship Fund to offer Bilingual College Workshops.

McDonald’s announced it is working with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) for the second consecutive year to conduct a series of workshops designed to help encourage greater Hispanic college enrollment. The free workshops will provide parents and students with extensive information regarding the college application process, including financial aid and how to apply for scholarships.

“We understand how challenging the college application process can be and we want students and parents to know we are here to help,” said Cristina Vilella, Director of Marketing, McDonald’s USA. “These workshops offer the necessary tools and information needed to make that college dream a reality, and it is also a great way for students and their parents to become aware of all the available resources out there for them, such as the RMHC/HACER Scholarship Program that McDonald’s created and supports.”

The workshop series dates and locations are:

– September 6, 2008: Firebaugh High School, Lynwood, CA
– September 18, 2008: Campbell High School, Smyrna, GA
– September 18, 2008: Gateway High School, Aurora, CO

– October 16, 2008: Phoenix Union High School District, Phoenix, AZ
– October 18, 2008: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ
– October 29, 2008: Arsenal Technical High School, Indianapolis, IN

– November 8, 2008: Valencia Community West Campus, Orlando, FL
– November 15, 2008: National Hispanic University, San Jose, CA
– November 18, 2008: Ysleta Independent School District, El Paso, TX
– November 22, 2008: Benito Juarez High School, Chicago, IL
– November TBD: TBD, Boston, MA

“Many of these children will be the first in their families to go to college,” said Frank D. Alvarez, HSF President & CEO. “Our goal is to provide parents and students with the essential tools to help guide them through the college admission process.”

The workshops will introduce students and parents to scholarship programs, such as RMHC/HACER, a program of Ronald McDonald House Charities and its local U.S. chapters. Launched in 1985, RMHC/HACER is one of the largest educational scholarship programs in the country, having provided more than $17.9 million in scholarships to nearly 13,000 students since its inception. In the latest expansion of the program, four RMHC/HACER national scholarships of $100,000 each were awarded to deserving high school graduates this year.