WithTrademark#1136758, creator Bob Bernstein added a cultural icon to McDonalds’ menu – the Happy Meal. For forty-five years, children around the world have been recipients of their own specialized meal as they enter the Golden Arches. These colorfully boxed favorites are over 20% of McDonalds’ revenue, thus making its investors quite happy too. However, based on my experience, kids are not always “happy-happy” with their trademarked Happy Meals, especially if they don’t get the toy they want.
When the wife of McDonalds’ founder Ray Kroc died in 2003, she did her best to up the happiness level of kids in nearly thirty cities across the country. Her bequest of more than 1.5 billion dollars allowed for the development of Salvation Army ministries named Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers, with the goal of expanding opportunities in recreation, education and the arts for kids of all ages, especially those who may be underserved or impoverished. While I don’t think the wording of her legacy included “happy,” “joy” or “fun,” there have been plenty of smiles and lots of laughter as children sing, dance, run, jump, stretch, and explore in the Kroc Centers in each selected community, including Ashland, Ohio.
For the safety of the children served by the Kroc Centers, some of that exuberance has been muted while that nasty old corona has ravaged our country. Focus has shifted to providing basic needs to families during this time, but the Ashland Kroc has also used these months of forced inactivity in its recreational programming to increase its footprint, allowing for additional opportunities for fitness and fun as the pandemic subsides.
How did this come about? One of the proposed Kroc Centers in the eastern part of the US wasn’t able to get off the ground, and The Salvation Army decided to redistribute those funds to its existing centers. For Ashland, that meant millions of dollars to expand, and with the help of some local donors who provided matching funds, voila! An indoor waterpark is now rising in the rear of the original building.
On a recent visit to the Ashland Kroc, we got the grand tour of the new facility, hardhat and all. Impressive! And more good news. Majors Annalise and Billy Francis are hopeful that by next summer, the outdoor spraypark will be relocated and open for business. That would make my heart happy.
I remember the day when the water was first turned on for the outdoor spraypark. Captain Gillian Harvey had been working with us for a few weeks, and Gillian and I became the first “kids” to try out its refreshing mist, staying out of the way of the tumble buckets so we didn’t get drenched. It was a serendipitous moment: out of the blue, two grandmothers became children again, splashing in the water underneath a shining sun. What a happy day, uniform and all!
It won’t be long before there’s another fun day at the Ashland Kroc. Major Billy was recently daring my husband to join him in heading down the slide in the new waterpark, but I think Larry is going to pass on that invite, and on the Speedos as well. I’m planning to bring the grandkids to frolic in the water, but I’m staying out of the way of the charming Henry Kyle. One of the first words he learned was “move,” and he uses it frequently at the top of the playground slide when he gives a push to his sisters. If I’m trying out those waterslides, I’m going at my own pace, saying my prayers all the way up the steps and throughout the rapid descent on the slide – I don’t want to break my neck or any other body part.
On second thought, perhaps I’ll visit the labyrinth instead of the water slide. Tucked into the back corner of the property, its quiet path provides space and time for the rhythm of contemplation. While I’m still open to adventure, at sixty-six I am also willing to seek after a quiet happiness as I walk and pray. That’s the true joy of the Kroc – young or old(er), there’s room for everyone.
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