McDonald's Spirit of the Games Recipients Honored

Patrick Thibodeau and Josh Titus Honored at Boston Celtics' Heroes Among Us Awards Ceremony

Two former Maine high school basketball managers/players, Josh Titus of Auburn and Patrick Thibodeau of Cumberland, were honored at the Boston Celtics' Heroes Among Us awards ceremony on July 28. The two young men received their crystal engraved Heroes Among Us trophies in The Great Hall at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

"It is truly an honor to meet these remarkable individuals and recognize all of their great contributions," said Scalabrine. "These everyday heroes have worked hard to better the lives of everyone in their community and make our neighborhoods a better place to live."

Josh and Patrick were named Heroes Among Us award recipients at a Celtics play-off game versus the Orlando Magic on May 11, 2009. They accepted the honor on center court to a long, standing ovation by the TD Banknorth Garden's capacity crowd of more than 18, 600 fans. Josh and Patrick also served as Honorary Captains for the game and had behind the scenes tour of the Celtics' corporate offices.

From July 27 through 31, Titus and Thibodeau are attending Celtics Basketball Camp at the team's official practice facility in Waltham, Mass. Their trip is being made possible by McDonald's® and the McDonald's Owner/Operators of Maine and eastern New Hampshire.

About the Heroes Among Us Award:
Since 1997, the Boston Celtics' Heroes Among Us program presented by the Massachusetts State
Lottery has been recognizing outstanding individuals at Boston Celtics home games. More information
is available at www.nba.com/celtics/community/heroes_among_us.html

About Josh Titus and Patrick Thibodeau
Josh Titus who faces the challenges of autism and Patrick Thibodeau who has Downs Syndrome embody the spirit of basketball by exemplifying sportsmanship, supporting and inspiring their teammates and coaches, and showing an ability to overcome obstacles and boundaries. Both high school seniors were awarded the 2009 Maine Spirit of the Game Award at the Maine All-Star Basketball Games at Husson University in Bangor, Maine on March 13.

In April, Josh, Patrick and their families traveled to Detroit for the NCAA Final Four® Mens Games. Their special story aired nationally in an extended segment on CBS Sports on April 4 before the start of the first game. To honor them, Maine Governor John Baldacci declared April 4, 2009 Patrick Thibodeau Day and Josh Titus Day.

On April 9, the two appeared for a live interview on The CBS Early Show.

On April 29, they traveled to the Maine State House where they were recognized in the Maine House of Representatives, followed by a meeting with Governor John Baldacci.

More information and photos are available at Rinck Advertising.

About McDonald's in Maine
McDonald's Restaurants in Maine and eastern News Hampshire are locally owned and operated by a collaboration of 14 McDonald's franchisees who make up the Maine McDonald's Owner/Operator Association. The association provides support to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine and the two Ronald McDonald Houses® in Bangor and Portland, as well as the Ronald McDonald Family Room® at Maine Medical Center in Portland. A complete list of Maine and eastern New Hampshire McDonald's restaurant locations can be found at http://www.mcmaine.com.


About McDonald's
McDonald's USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. For more information on McDonald's visit www.mcdonalds.com or log on at any of the 10,000 Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants.