After Death of Parents, Teen Credits Healing Journey to His Manager at McDonald's
One McDonald’s in Lynn, Massachusetts is serving more than burgers and fries!
McDonald’s assistant manager, Andrea De La Rosa, also provides mentoring, guidance, and love to the young staff members she supervises.
“Emanuel Graham, 18, told CBS News both of his parents died before his 14th birthday. It caused him to struggle in school.”
Graham nicknamed De La Rosa “Mama McDonald’s” and credits her with helping him turn his life around, survive high school, and even enroll in college.
“She treats me as if I’m her child. She always checks on me. She makes sure that I have everything that I need,” he said.
Boston Business Journal reported that “Graham will be attending school through Archways to Opportunity, a program that provides McDonalds employees tuition assistance and access to free education. In New England there are 255 workers participating, with a total tuition award of over $565,000.”
This past August, Lindsay Wallin, manager of this McDonald’s in Lynn, surprised Graham with a “$500 Amazon gift card, as well as some McDonald’s gear and a UMass hoodie.”
Mama McDonald’s also received a surprise! She was awarded a check to cover flights for a planned family vacation in recognition of her work as a caring leader.
De La Rosa told CBS News, “managing young people on their first jobs is about so much more than barking orders. It’s about listening, helping with homework, college applications and really anything for the kids who work in the fast food restaurant.”
“You never stop being a mother just because they’re not your kids,” she said.
Emanuel believes Mama McDonalds’ support “slowly healed” what he was missing. He plans to go into business one day and De La Rosa is his role model for the kind of boss he hopes to be.
James 1:27 ESV says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Andrea De La Rosa lives that verse daily and the impact to those she watches over will be immeasurable.
