McDonald’s donates $6K to LibDay festivities

Liberation Day festivities committee members pose for a photo with McDonald’s Garapan staff following a donation. (Kimberly A. Bautista)

McDonald’s CNMI and Guam donated $6,000 last week to the Liberation Day Festivities committee that has started its preparation process.

According to Shayne Villanueva, Liberation Day Festivities committee vice chair, the committee has started their solicitations and McDonald’s was their first donor.

“The donation is going toward the Liberation Day festivities that will be happening from June 27 to July 6,” he said.

Villanueva added that, on behalf of the committee, he is thankful for McDonald’s’ continuous support.

“We always appreciate their support to the local community. We appreciate their support for the Liberation Day festivities. Their help is huge. This event is a community event and we are trying to acquire support from everybody so that we can throw the best community event that we can,” he said.

McDonald’s CNMI general manager Joe Ayuyu Jr. credits their business success to the community and they are happy to give back.

“My parents always remind me and my sisters that it’s the community that makes us successful so we try as much as possible to give back to the community. Liberation is just one of the ways,” he said.

Villanueva said the committee has also opened up the application process for the Liberation Day Royal Court.

“They can pick up the applications at the [Saipan] Mayor’s Office. Right now, it’s already open for application. So, any young woman over the age of 14 can apply,” he said.

The community can expect changes in this year’s 73rd Annual Liberation Day Festival.

“We’ll have a very organized parade. We’ll have a good firework show. We’re going to try and bring in some more games and some more family activities and entertainment. Hopefully, we can bring in a headliner of some sort. Hopefully, we can avoid bad weather because it’s been quite often that we’ve had that. We’re looking at some other options to bring in some entertainment,” he said.

The festival will also feature veterans who fought in the Battle of Saipan to commemorate the battle’s 75th anniversary.

“This year is large also because we’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Saipan, which is June 15, and we will be helping out with that. We are working with Burke Waldron. He has started a gofundme [account] to come out here, and we will be celebrating his presence, along with the presence of some others that we are…working on getting to fly over,” he said.