photo by steed media service

Edith Peters has imparted invaluable intangibles to the hundreds of young people who have worked at McDonald’s in her 32 years with the food-service king. It’s a natural she would be here, supervising the current team. “A lot of times, all you see is the negative part. But Errol Service [owner of the McDonald’s on Woodward Avenue in Highland Park] wants to see that kids have positive role models,” she says. “Here, an African American man owns 15 stores, and [shows that] ... you don’t have to be a drug dealer ... [if] you work hard, you can be an owner yourself.”

Peters routinely hands out morsels of wisdom to the teenagers and young adults under her care. “I truly believe that if you work hard and put forth the effort, the world is yours. The key thing is to work hard and have a positive attitude. Then there are no limits,” she adds.

Peters, who has worked for the Service-owned McDonald’s for the past three years, says she still receives blessings from those she tries to inculcate life skills to. ““I love people. I love being a catalyst to work with youth of all ages. I feel like they need me,” Peters says. “When I feel like that I don’t have anything to give, when I think that I know it all, then I’ll quit. But I still love this because I learn from them. It’s a two-way street. It’s not only that I give, but they give back to me. And they keep me young.” -terry shropshire

Send this Article to a Friend
facebook