Sunday, January 1, 2017

Comments for a Cause - Ronald McDonald House

Comments for a Cause - Ronald McDonald House
Happy New Year!  It's not only the start of the New Year, it is also the start of a new week and the start of January.  Talk about a great day for a great start!  In 2017 I am going to be continuing my Comments for a Cause efforts and I'm excited to start off my fourth year of the program with an organization that I have a personal connection with.  But before I talk about January's cause, let's talk about Iowa Cookie Crumbs that I highlighted over the last two months; in November and December I had 37 comments equaling a $18.50 donation to help their efforts of sending homemade cookies to servicemen and women deployed overseas.

In the month of January I'm looking forward to helping families stay close to each other during long hospital stays by donating $0.50 for every comment made on my blog to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Comments for a Cause - Ronald McDonald House

Mr. K with our
Ronald McDonald House
giving tree ornaments
I was reminded about how important the Ronald McDonald House is at the beginning of the holiday season when our local McDonald's Restaurant had a "giving tree" with requests for our local Ronald McDonald House in Rochester.  The kids and I picked out a few requests from the tree, bought the items needed and returned them to the restaurant where they were then sent to the house.

See, this "giving tree" reminded me of my family's time staying at the Rochester Ronald McDonald House while my cousin Jake was receiving cancer treatments.  My cousin and his Mom (my Aunt) lived in Kansas City, and he was at Mayo in Rochester, 400 miles away from home, for over six months.  To help out my Aunt and my Cousin, we had a family member with him up in Rochester every week he was at Mayo.  This was only possible with the help of the Ronald McDonald House.  Our family had a room there that whoever was staying with Jake for the week was able to sleep at.  It was a great place to be able to rest and recharge, while being close to Jake.  My family didn't have to worry about finding a place to stay, or where the money was going to come from, especially for my Aunt, when medical bills were increasing monthly during my cousin's cancer treatments.  Besides a place to stay, the staff, volunteers and other family members staying at the house were very supportive and were willing to help you out with any of your needs.

In addition to my family's personal experience at the Ronald McDonald House, we've also had friends that have stayed at the Des Moines Ronald McDonald House while their infant received care.  For both of these situations, and so many others, having a sick child that is receiving hospital care can be both an emotional and financial stress for a family.  The Ronald McDonald House addresses these problems by providing housing near the hospitalized child in 362 Ronald McDonald Houses across the world in 63 countries.  Besides a place to stay, my family also appreciated the home cooked meals and kitchen space, computer lab and activities, books, etc. available to use while visiting at the hospital.

So help me support the Ronald McDonald House's efforts to lessen the stress of having a hospitalized child for families by keeping them close to each other by commenting all month long.  Have you ever stayed at a Ronald McDonald House or volunteered at one before?  Remember to Comment for a Cause.

7 comments:

  1. When my granddaughter was in Iowa City, the kids stayed at the Ronald McDonald house. It was a godsend. My quilt group made them a quilt when they first opened the house and it hung on the wall for a very long time. Happy New Year!

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  2. What a great cause! My cousin was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House when her little guy needed a little extra help after being born as well. It is nice to have a place to stay and some helpful faces during a scary time.

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    Replies
    1. So true. Love that your cousin was able to find support through the Ronald McDonald House.

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  3. So many families benefit from this organization When families are faced with medical emergencies, these types of organizations are priceless.

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  4. Thanks for sharing this amazing article, it is a very informative post good work keep it up.

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