His surprise appearance caught some of the club members off guard.
“Run for your lives; it’s a clown!” one little boy shouted as he ducked behind a couch cushion.
“Wait a second, that’s not one of those clowns — it’s Ronald McDonald,” another girl said.
Within seconds, the famous fast-food chain mascot was swarmed by children screaming with delight who pushed and shoved their way to him for a handshake, a high-five or a hug.
The smiling redhead gave a special thank you to members of the Torch Club, a community service group within the Boys and Girls Clubs, for raising more than $250 for the Ronald McDonald Foundation.
The foundation provides housing support for families of children coping with long-term illness.
On Friday, club members presented a second check for $150.
Oscherica Jackson, 11; Jenna Marie Johnson, 13; Lani DePonte, 11; and club president Sabrina Hauger, 13, stood beside their special guest as he wowed his audience with disappearing rope tricks, juggling and jokes.
The four girls worked with their adviser, Michelle Seminario, for the past year to raise money for the charity, put backpacks and school supplies together for the Fairbanks Rescue Mission and collect toys for Santa’s Clearing House.
“It’s donations like this from nice, generous people like you that help keep the Ronald McDonald House open to families all over the world,” Ronald McDonald said as he accepted the check.
Boys and Girls Clubs member Bayle Dunn, 12, knows all about the foundation. She stayed there with her family while her sister battled cancer in Salt Lake City.
“It feels good to give money back to a house that helped my family, too,” Dunn said. Dunn’s sister has been free of her illness for three years.
And that’s what the Torch Club’s mission is about, Seminario said.
“Kids are learning the habits of being good citizens, and a large part of that is learning about the many ways to give back,” she said.
The four Torch Club leaders agreed that volunteering and helping the community was the best part of their experience in the group.
“I never knew it until I joined in, but it’s actually fun to do this kind of stuff,” Jackson said. “We’re helping to save people by doing little things like recycling pop tops.” The club recycled more than 70 pounds of soda cans last year and donated the earnings to charity.
“Torch Club is such an awesome club,” Hauger said. She rides a bus from Ryan Middle School with her siblings every day after school to hang out at the Boys and Girls Club. “It’s taught me responsibility and how to be thankful for everything you have.”
The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tanana Valley has more than 400 members and is grant funded. In addition to providing a safe after-school hangout for kids, staff members offer homework help and structured educational and athletic activities.
“We are not a day care; we are a clubhouse,” said Betsy Turner-Bogren, resource developer for the club. “We work hard to provide a safe and positive after-school environment for any kid in our community.”
Anyone interested in joining the Boys and Girls Clubs can call 457-5223 or visit www.bgcalaska.org for more information.
Contact staff writer Rebecca George at 459-7504.
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