Background
McDonald’s Owner/Operator Richard Castro of El Paso TX led the effort to establish this scholarship program in 1985. Castro sought to address concerns over the escalating high school dropout rate and low college enrollment level of Hispanic students.

In 1998 the McDonald’s Owner/Operators of Southern Colorado formed an HACER chapter and approached RMHC of Southern Colorado as well as RMHC National for funding to offer scholarships to local Hispanic students.

Through the first six years of our HACER program, Southern Colorado has awarded $134,000 in form of 211 scholarships to students of Hispanic descent. To date 12 of our recipients have used their money to become seniors at college – making them graduates of our program.

Need
Hispanic students continue to lag behind all other groups in high school graduation and college enrollment. This alarming trend is exacerbated by the rapid, continued growth of the community. Hispanics will soon become the largest minority group in the nation. Hispanics are also by far the youngest of all demographic groups in the country.

The US Census Bureau and the American Council on Education reports that less than 60% of all Hispanic students complete high school, compared to graduation rates of 82% for Caucasians and 77% for African-Americans.

College enrollment rates for Hispanics remain very low. Once in college, Hispanic students face severe retention challenges. Economic need is the single most important reason why Hispanic students do not complete their studies.

Operation
The Southern Colorado program is administered by a committee of 12 volunteers drawn from the ranks of the local McDonald’s Owner/Operators, educators and other community leaders.

Matching Dollars
Global RMHC supports the scholarship program through a matching funds program initiated in 1995. Intended to recognize and complement successful local fundraising efforts, Global RMHC grants local chapters up to $75,000 in scholarship funds per year in a dollar-for-dollar match for graduating high school students entering their first year of college. While there is no doubt that RMHC of Southern Colorado will continue to be our primary source of funding, we would like to reach out into the community, particularly the Hispanic community to invite contributions to our program. The matching funds that are available to us mean that for every dollar we collect a student can receive two to fund their educational dreams.

The Celebration
Each year’s cycle winds up with an Awards Reception to honor recipients and their families.