Thank you, Coit!

For over twenty years, Coit Cleaning has donated the cleaning of the carpets and furniture at the Ronald McDonald House - Oak Street. Recently, Ernie, Tony, Jordan and Jacob began their day at 5:00am so they could clean the slate floors and grout in the common areas of the House before the daily activities began. Thanks to Coit, our rooms are quickly cleaned for each new family before they arrive. I recently stopped by the Coit – Bloomington office to recognize this dedicated group. We can't thank you enough for your generosity.

Making Dental Care Accessible

Thank you to Delta Dental of Minnesota, supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest since 2008. Throughout the last five years, Delta Dental of Minnesota has graciously given $170,000 to the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program- providing dental care to underserved children in the metro area. Since 2010, they have been present as a Fam Glam sponsor, totaling $17,000. Delta Dental of Minnesota is a true friend of RMHC-UM and we are so grateful for their continued support!

Click here to learn more about this program.

Cal’s All-Star Angel Foundation Shows Support

 

Tom and Stacy Sutter and their family visit the Ronald McDonald House - Oak Street every summer to drop off much needed items to help us serve families in gratitude for the support they received when their son, Cal, was treated here in the Twin Cities. Cal's All-Star Angel Foundation responded to a request for new, flat screen televisions for fifteen rooms of the House. Much to our delight, the new televisions are installed and fit perfectly in the bookshelves in each room. With gratitude to Tom and Stacy and their supporters, we say a huge THANK YOU! Even though Cal's Angel Foundation is actively supporting families in the Chicago area where they live, their continued support and generosity makes a real impact.

Twin Cities Live "Fair Fashions" Support RMHC-UM!

 

 

 

Check out the KSTP-TV broadcasts of Twin Cities Live while you are at the Minnesota State Fair. You can support RMHC-UM by purchasing a Twin Cities Live apron at their booth. Earlier this month, John and Elizabeth and the Twin Cities Live team served a delicious meal prepared and donated by Acapulco Restaurants at the Ronald McDonald House - Chicago Avenue. Now, Twin Cities Live fans can also support RMHC-UM by purchasing a Twin Cities Live apron at the fair. For each apron sold, they will donate $1 to our Cooks for Kids meal program. If you want to see available Cooks for Kids dates, check out our website at www.rmhc-um.org. Thanks again, John, Elizabeth and the entire staff of Twin Cities Live for supporting families!

Johnstech International Cooks for Kids!

RMHC-UM board member and founder and President of Johnstech International, David Johnson, and his team of employees and family members recently served a fun and creative "State Fair" meal at the Ronald McDonald House - Chicago Avenue, inside Children's Hospitals & Clinics, Minneapolis. Everything was served on a stick - brats, hotdogs, corn, fruit kabobs, cotton candy - everything except for the snow cones were reminiscent of the State Fair's most popular foods. The State Fair decor enabled families to find nourishment and community just steps away from their critically-ill child. These precious moments to relax and recharge are so meaningful to families...and we can't do it without Cooks for Kids! Families look forward to having a delicious home-cooked meal and the opportunity to spend special time with other children or family members. Johnstech International has supported families through Cooks for Kids at all three of our locations by providing delicious and creative meals. We salute and thank David and the employees of Johnstech International for their continued support.

Visitors to the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®

I recently had the pleasure of hosting seven health professionals from across Africa on the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®. They are visiting as part of a training program with the U.S. Department of State and were being hosted by the Minnesota International Center.

These professionals hail from the countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Malawi, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo, and Uganda. Their positions range from Director of the National Tuberculosis Control Program to doctors of Obstetrics and Gynecology to ecologists.

Before coming to Minnesota, the group visited Washington D.C. and Baltimore and following their time here they will visit New Mexico and Seattle. During their time in the United States, they are learning about  the public health system and the control of infectious diseases.

What better way to see public health in action than the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile?

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile had clinic at North Metro Pediatrics in Coon Rapids. The group was able to come out to the site and take a tour of the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and learn more about the dental services we provide on a daily basis.

They had many questions about the population we serve, how the program was initially started, etc.  Needless to say, they were impressed with the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and our commitment to dental health and providing accessibility to services. It was equally as informative to speak with the group and learn about the various programs and initiatives they are working on in their own countries. Several of the individuals are in the process of starting mobile medical programs. It was an eye opening experience to learn about their current goals and challenges.

Thank you to the visitors with the Minnesota International Center for your visit to the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile! We wish you well as you learn and develop programs across Africa!

Volunteers Make Holidays Sweet!

Check out the special Easter and spring-themed treats two special volunteers cooked up for the families at the Ronald McDonald House - Chicago Ave (inside Children's Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota). We celebrate holidays big and small to bring levity to the children and families our programs support. If you're interested in sharing your creative culinary talent with families when they need it most, contact Carynn Roehrick to learn how to help.

The Lucky Month of March

As the month of March came to an end, the wall inside the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare was completely filled with "lucky shamrocks." In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we decided to have families write down what they feel lucky for on shamrocks surrounding the rainbow. We got many responses such as: family, life, love, kids, pets and many patients’ names currently receiving care at Gillette. Thank you to all of the families that participated in this activity. WE are lucky to have each and every one of you at the Ronald McDonald Family Room.

Holidays Are Special Here!

We love when volunteers go above and beyond to make holidays big and small special for the families we support. Check out the St. Patrick's Day celebration at the Ronald McDonald Family Room thanks to volunteers from Ryerson.

"Ryerson has served four Cooks for Kids meals since we opened last July and they are always creative with their themes and meals," said Kara Miller, Director of the Ronald McDonald Family Room. "Their recent St. Patty’s theme had all sorts of yummy green treats - even green butter! Ryerson's generosity and creativity makes the hospital experience just a little bit easier for families."

The Little Things Matter Most

Many of you are familiar with our volunteer meal program, Cooks For Kids, in which volunteers cook meals for the families inside the Ronald McDonald House, the House inside the hospital and the Ronald McDonald Family Room. Everyone is so grateful for the volunteers taking time out of their busy days to cook, serve and clean up. At the Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, we recently had a group of high school students who are a part of the National Honor Society at Harding High School in St. Paul. They did such a wonderful job preparing a delicious, Asian-themed meal. One thing in particular that really caught everyone’s attention was the coconut Jell-O. The volunteers made several different colors of Jell-O using food dye and then made art out of the Jell-O! Families we so appreciative! One parent commented, “It really is the small things like pretty Jell-O that brings a smile to my face these days." Thank you, National Honor Society, at Harding High School for serving families. It seems like something so small, but we know it's the little things that really matter!

Thank You, Minnesota Wild Foundation!

Thank you to the Minnesota Wild Foundation and to the fans in the state of hockey! From February 14 to March 4, the Minnesota Wild and Xcel Energy Center hosted a 50/50 raffle to benefit RMHC-UM. $13,717 in prize money went to five lucky participants and more than $14,000 was raised for RMHC-UM! Plus, over 18,000 fans at 5 games got to know us a little better.

We were honored to be the beneficiary for the raffle at 5 games.

Thank you to the great volunteers who have come out to help us sell tickets.

We've enjoyed attending the games and working with the Minnesota Wild Foundation to ensure care was taken each night as winners were selected from thousands of participants. We're especially proud of the five wonderful volunteer groups who have stepped up to support us and work as cheerleaders pitching the sale of tickets in support of RMHC-UM. They've given up parts of their weekend and even braved the weather to be there and we are grateful.

The following photos chronicle the raffle at the February 28th game. We were sad to see the Wild lose, but happy to see a winner walk away with $2,000 and to bring back $2,000 to support families.

Giving the tickets a good spin for luck and safety.

Carynn Roehrick, Director of Volunteers, is eager to pull the winning ticket.

A sea of tickets and support for RMHC-UM!

Reaching in and selecting the winning ticket.

Another set of great volunteers proudly display the winning ticket!

Oscars Party at the Ronald McDonald Family Room®

It is estimated 39.3 million people watched the Academy Awards last Sunday and that number includes the patients and families at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare who attended our Oscars party! We celebrated with caramel corn, miniature Oscars and families filled out ballots to guess winners per category. We all had a blast gushing over the gorgeous dresses and beautiful people, but the most exciting part of the night was guessing the winners. When the ballots were totaled, the family with the most correct guesses was the Glime family! With 10 correct guesses out of 24 possible categories, Melissa Glime claimed her prize of 4 Minnesota Zoo passes and a miniature Oscar! Congrats, Melissa, you sure know your movies!

Every Pop Tab Counts!

Last week at the Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, I was very excited to see a patient named Gavin bring in a large bag. I asked Gavin what was inside the bag and he said “A ton of pop tabs!” In fact, it was a 12lb bag of pop tabs he had been saving for us. Gavin had his friends and family save all of their pop tabs over the last few months. He was so excited to donate them and I was equally excited to accept them! Thank you to everyone who collects pop tabs, and just as Gavin told me, every pop tab counts and makes a difference.

Pantry Donation!

Thank you, Twin City Bond Club, for supporting the Ronald McDonald Family Room with your donation.

At the Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, we are SO thankful when we receive donations of any sort. Last week, we received a donation from the Twin City Bond Club to help keep our pantry stocked! The pantry is such a wonderful part of our space and is truly appreciated by all of the families here. There is nothing like a homemade meal and feeling taken care of during a difficult time. Thanks to donors like the Twin City Bond Club, this is a reality for families at the Ronald McDonald Family Room! From all of the families and staff at the Ronald McDonald Family Room, thank you, Twin City Bond Club for making sure our pantry is full! What an amazing showing of support!