who will receive one of the Red Shoe Circle awards

When many children look at Ronald McDonald, they see a big, fun clown — but he represents more than just fast-food enjoyment. The Reno Ronald McDonald House will honor its 25th year on July 16 with red shoes galore to celebrate the anniversary.

The now sold-out celebration, which will be held at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, will feature guests Maury Povich and Connie Chung, and guests are requested to wear red shoes to emulate the famous clown. The Red Shoe Circle Award, which honors supporters who have made substantial financial commitments to the house, will be awarded to six people.

“It’s a little bit of both a fundraiser and a celebration,” said Judy O’Brien, senior associate at Ronald McDonald House Charities. “Our fundraising piece comes from ticket sales.”

The Ronald McDonald House Charities is known for the Ronald McDonald Houses, which host families from out of town for little to no cost so that they can be near their sick children in the hospital.

The house gets most of its funding from donations, not from McDonald’s, said Marty Ozer, RMHC’s executive director.

“McDonald’s doesn’t pay for everything. They make Ronald available to us for events,” Ozer said. “They give us a penny for every happy meal. They will have two tables (at the celebration). The perception was that McDonald’s takes care of expenses.”

RMHC doesn’t only provide the Ronald McDonald House — it’s also the funding for the second-largest scholarship program in Northern Nevada. About $750,000 has been given in scholarships since the program’s inception in 2000, said John Drakulich, chairman of the RMHC Scholarship Program.

Drakulich, who will receive one of the Red Shoe Circle awards, had been a member of the RMHC’s Board of Trustees since its inception in 1987. He said he volunteered to chair the program because he had been academically challenged in school, but succeeded because of the assistance of his parents and because of his teachers at Hug High School.

“I chair (the program) for no other reason than that I was fortunate to go to Hug,” Drakulich said. “The vast majority of the teachers there truly cared. … I would say that I do it because it honors my parents who cared so deeply for their kids.”

Drakulich said the scholarship program gives money based on the personal statements submitted, not on grades.

“It’s then that you realize how challenged we are,” he said. “I don’t believe society values education as much as it should. To me, it was saying, how can we make a difference?”

Drakulich said he remained involved with RMHC because of the way it supports children and their families.

“Every dollar that goes in the scholarship comes back,” he said. “They accomplish what they have, like the house itself.”

Though he finds the charity efficient, Ozer said fundraising is still needed for the RMHC’s programs.

“We have two golf tournaments a year, and that was our only fundraising effort,” Ozer said. “This is the first time we’ve done anything like this.

“We’re anticipating it being a lot of fun and a wonderful success. The money we make on this will help the various programs we have move forward.”