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!

A Family's Journey

By Steph Boehmer, Assistant House Manager - Chicago Avenue
Ronald McDonald House inside Children's Hospital, Minneapolis

When I arrived to work at RMH-Chicago Ave this afternoon, I was met with great news. A little boy who had undergone major heart surgery had been discharged after morning rounds and the family had headed home. I couldn’t help but reflect back on the difficult journey I witnessed the family endure in just a matter weeks and found great joy in the positive outcome. I had first met this family when they walked through the door the evening prior to their son’s surgery. The mom was exhausted; which was evident in her stance and eyes. The child's father was doing his best to provide whatever comfort he could to mom. Together they explained they were in search of somewhere to get a good night of rest before the rough day they had ahead of them. Sleeping bedside provided no relief due to the constant beeping of machines, nurses passing by on rounds and lack of a comfortable bed. While filling out the registration sheet, the mother struggled to focus on the information provided on the form. The dad stood patiently beside her, guiding her through each portion. I walked them to their overnight room and as I opened the door and turned on the lights, an instant look of relief washed over their faces as they took in the sight of the warmly decorated room with a queen sized bed and private bathroom. The dad exclaimed it was exactly what they needed, while mom expressed heartfelt thanks. The family faced many ups and downs following the surgery, but were able to find refuge in the house; staying many nights in the overnight room and using the hospitality area for meals and respite. There was an evident change in the child's mother, who soon went from looking tired and weary to rejuvenated and focused. Just last night, the father, with a huge smile on his face, came to inform me it would probably be their last night at the House, as they were expecting to be able to return home the next day. I later saw the parents with their older daughter out on the patio enjoying one last Cooks For Kids meal, talking, laughing and looking carefree. It was a complete 180 from the first night I had met the family. Stories like theirs are a great illustration of the journey a family can take, and how the comforts of home can aid them in facing challenges head-on. I feel honored I get to witness the spirit and resiliency of these families, and I will never grow tired of celebrating with them upon hearing that their child is being discharged.

A colorful week at the RMH - Oak Street

What a colorful week at the RMH - Oak Street.

Color abounded at the Oak Street House last week.
One outing was to see the new Smurfs movie...it was very blue and smurfy!!

And we made 51 very colorful, very beautiful tee shirts. We love to see our kids get creative!

There are a few steps to creating these beauties:

First, you need to wrap up the boring, plain white tee shirt with rubber bands....

then the fun begins.... adding all sorts of fabulous colors!!

After adding all that color... the shirt soaks it all in overnight...



















and then...... the shirts are unwrapped, rinsed and washed



















and then we get to see how each one turned out....

unique and gorgeous - just like each person who created them.

Johnstech International Cooks for Kids!

The volunteer meal groups through our Cooks for Kids program make our mission possible. Tonight's group at the RMH - Oak Street is Johnstech International, currently setting up a carnival-themed evening for families. They even brought a cotton candy machine!

Interested in getting involved with Cooks for Kids? Click HERE to learn more!