30 Ways in 30 Days

#1
Spread the word by sharing your story

More than 4 million children and their families are helped by RMHC each year - each one was helped by a volunteer in one way or another. That's 3.7 million stories about volunteers alone.

We know you have a story about RMHC. And telling that story - spreading that word - is a powerful way to help as well. Your story might not be about volunteering. It might be about your son's experience at a Ronald McDonald House. About your niece who got much-needed dental care on a Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. About seeing a family hugging one another in a Ronald McDonald Family Room.

The important thing is to share your story. Share it here. Share it with your friends. Share it with strangers. And you can share it in so many ways: a video on YouTube, a photo on Flickr, a tweet on Twitter, a status mention on Facebook. There are countless ways to share and inspire.

Be inspired by the other volunteer stories below. Be inspired by your own story - inspired to share.
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26 Comments

  •  says:

    In my most desperate time of need, the Ronald McDonald house was there for me to make sure I had a place to stay so that I could take care of my daughter. The next time you are there, please throw your spare change into the donation sleeve outside the window. Every little bit helps, and it really helped my family when we needed it the most!!

    16/08/2010 6:22pm

  • Lindsey Poindexter Mitchell says:

    In my most important time of need, the Ronald McDonald House provided me with a place to stay to make sure I was there for my daughter. Whenever you visit McDonald's, please throw your spare change into the donation sleeve outside the window... every little bit helps! It certainly helped my family!

    16/08/2010 6:16pm

  • Catherine Marx says:

    I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A REAL STORY WHEN I WAS 10 YRS. OUR SCHOOL SPONSORED AND PASS OUT SIGNUP SHEET & A LIST TO PARTICIPANT IN A WALKATON TO SUPPORT MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY.
    EACH CHILD WAS TO GET SOME SUPPORTERS TO PAY PER DISTANCE."MILES" ANYWAYS I REMEMBER MAC DONALDS PARTICIPATED , SERVING THE CHILDREN A LUNCH ALSO A REST TIME FOR LITTLE FEET. IT IS A WONDERFUL MEMORY KNOWING THAT MAC DONALDS GAVE THAN, AND IS STILL REACHING OUT TO ANY CHILD WHO IS IN NEED.
    THANK YOU FOR CARING.
    CATHY

    08/08/2010 4:21pm

  • Catherine Marx says:

    I believe in sharing life touching stories can actually uplift another person, who might be going through the same or similar situation.

    08/08/2010 3:49pm

  • theresa says:

    When I was 6 years old I had kidney faliure. I was rushed to ALbany Medical Center in Albany NY where i stayed for 3 weeks. With my mom being a single mother of 3 kids it was hard for her to take care of the other 2 while i was in the hospital because we lived so far away. My Family was put up in
    The Ronald McDonald House right next to the hospital so that my mom could still work and she knew her kids were ok.I am now 26 and in good health. I will be forever greatful for that. Everytime i go to Mcdonalds i always donate to the Ronald Mcdonald House. Thank you so much it was very helpful to my mother and helped me recover fast as i had my family around me.

    10/04/2010 11:11pm

  • Karen says:

    On Dec. 27, 2008, my niece gave birth a a wonderful little boy...2 months premature. Isaiah spent 2 months at Children's Hospital in Denver, CO. During those 2 months, my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew dpent their days at Childrens and nights at the Ronald McDonald House in Aurora. Since then, they have returned to CHildrens numerous times for check-ups and have stayed in their "home away from home". Without The Ronald McDonald House, the family wouldn't have been able to spend as much time with Isaiah as they did. Everyone involved at the House was supportive and helped make a tense time a little more bearable.

    22/03/2010 3:18pm

  • MJ says:

    I am only 12, but we are in the process of getting pop-tabs for my school. we have a ten gallon bucket in only the first quarter. I love making a difference and this charity means a lot to me, I don't know anyone with cancer or anything wrong to be honest but I don't want to take that chance. I will keep getting pop-tabs. thanks for this charity..

    10/01/2010 9:00pm

  • Terri says:

    When my son was 12 years-old he sustained a third degree burn to his ankle. His father and I wanted him to be treated at the best hospital in our area which was duPont Children's Hospital in Wilmington, DE and was about 2 hours from our house. He spent 28 days out of a 6 week period in the hospital. If it had not been for the Ronald McDonald House I don't know what we would have done, a hotel was $120/ night and my husband, being a self-employed masonry contractor, lost work because he could not get jobs started on time. Ronald McDonald house was able to give us a room without any cost to us and we could have our younger son with us part of the time also. Our son recovered completely, he is a U.S. Marine now and has been to Afghanastan, he is also expecting his first child. We have given to Ronald McDonald Charities at our local McDonald's for years but would like to do more so we have pledged to ourselves to prepare meals for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House that was so generous to us.

    29/11/2009 7:18pm

  • Darin and Stephanie Klevgard says:

    Our daughter had 3 congenital heart defects, one of which required emergency surgery when she was only 12 days old. We had no prior worries about her heart until we took her into the ER Sunday morning. We were whisked off to St Mary's hospital in ROchester MN and she was admitted to be diagnosed by the WONDERFUL Mayo doctors. The child life specialist at St Marys named Jane did an awesome job of helping us get set up the Ronald McDonald House for our home away from home for the next few weeks. The staff is very professional and helpful and understnading. It takes a special person to handle this type of volunteer work and they all did very well. We are sooooo grateful to the house staff and the hospital staff that get us hooked up with the house. Our very difficult time was made easier due to the great people who volunteer theie time and money. THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for looking after us and being there whenever needed.

    28/11/2009 8:11pm

  • andie finley says:

    I have volunteered at Ronald Mcdonald House in menphis. It is such a remarkable place. I go once a month with Mrs. and Mr. mike pittman. I love to go and play with the little kids. It is really great just to go up there and see the ppl so glad to c us. You get to here all the amazing stories of what the kids have to go thru.I go home and pray for all the children up there and i am so thankful that i have health. "you can do all things thru Christ who strengthens you." " God never puts more on us then we can handle" i am goin to continue to volunteer at Ronald Mcdonald House every month.I love to see the smile on the kids faces.

    31/08/2009 10:57am

  • Elaine Wright says:

    Many years ago my son had a lengthy hospitalization in a hospital in Atlanta, GA. It was a little over 2 hours away from our home. We were so delighted when we found out about the Ronald McDonald house there. We were able to stay there a couple of times with our other 3 children. It was a beautiful home and the volunteers there made us feel so welcome and comfortable. The children didn't want to leave and go home at the end of our visits! The Ronald McDonald house made a trying time much eaiser for our family. Thanks so much.

    24/08/2009 10:40am

  • Jay says:

    As a kid my parents and were put up at the Ronald McDonald house in Ohau because I needed heart surgery. Although I don't remeber it my parents do and they were greatful. I am now a healthy 17 year old going off to college.

    05/08/2009 11:09am

  • Judi Sparks says:

    I feel so blessed to have been healthy and have 3 healthy children. I was able to work at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite for 7+ years and met many families and children who have been blessed by the RMHC charities in countless ways. Even now, I work with special education kids and am always looking out for ways to impact their lives and their families. RHMC is a great organization funded by volunteers and countless hours of blood, sweat and tears. I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator who is hosting a group of friends who do "Cards for Causes" to keep cards in the houses for families. Feel free to join me in my cause! You start off thinking that you are helping them...oly to find yourself being blessed 10 times over!

    11/07/2009 9:00am

  • Amber Napier says:

    I just want to take the time to say thanks for the Ronald McDonald charities. Without them I would not have been able to stay with my son who was born with a collapsed lung for the weeks he was in the NICU. The ironic thing is the night I went in to deliver my son I stopped at a local McDonald's and as usual I put the extra change into the box. Funny to think one day I might need the donations myself. Thanks to all who donate and may God bless everyone who cares enough to do so. Remember it doesn't matter the size of donation... ten dimes makes a dollar... it all adds up in the end. Thank you.

    17/06/2009 7:47pm

  • tanya says:

    My son Tyler was Diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia and has been in the hospital for over a month and a half waiting for the treatment to work and thanks to ronald mcdonald house he gets to leave the hospital and go to the ronald mcdonald house to stay until he can fully recover from his treatment.

    09/06/2009 12:26am

  • Amanda says:

    My son Adam was born May 22nd,1996 in Cedar Rapids,Iowa.
    At 3 months old, he was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, along with VSD. He needed open heart surgery fairly quickly.
    I was put up at RMDH of Iowa City, being only 19, single mother with no money,no job, and I refused to go more than the distance from the hospital to RMDH. They were amazing.
    Last year in April of '08, Adam sustained a brain injury (to this day we don't know how it happened.)
    We were flown Via Care Flight(life flight) to Las Vegas from Fort Mohave,AZ to Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas,NV. RMDH was once again there for me and my now husband.
    On May 29th of this year, I was told that Adam was going to need another open heart surgery to finish correcting the problems from his first open heart surgery. This time, he will be having a Pulmonary Valve Replacenemt. I am terrified,scared,and all other words that would be appropriate to use. RMDH has already made our reservation;as Adam will probably be in the hospital for a week or two.
    RMDH is one of the best things to happen to families of children in their time of need.

    08/06/2009 4:48pm

  • Anne Gower says:

    My beautiful daughter, Alexis, was born in August 2002. When she was 2 weeks old, we were told she had a heart defect called Atrial Septal Defect. (ASD) She was in heart failure, and needed several medications to stay well. The doctors monitored her for a few weeks and waited to see if she would need surgery right away or could wait until she was a little older. At 9 months old, the hole in her heart was the size of a quarter and she had open heart surgery. While in the hospital, we were blessed to be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house within walking distance of the childrens hospital. We were there for 5 days, and it was such a blessing and relief! The RMH had a shuttle that took us to and from the hospital, at any hour, there was always food available, and my husband and I were able to take turns sleeping in a real bed. We had showers, and internet access... and the support of all the families and staff. Thank you, RMH!!

    27/05/2009 8:52am

  • sheira hirashima says:

    Living on a small island of Molokai located in Hawaii, there is only one hospital that is available to the community, and it is not updated with the same technology as in Oahu. So when my two month old son was diagnosed with RSV, he was flown out to oahu to get medical help. We were from a totaly different island and didn't know our way around, and didn't have a place to stay. Thats where the Ronald McDonald House of Hawaii came into play. They took us in, gave us a roof over our head, a bed to sleep in when we needed a place to rest, food when we were hungry and support when we needed it. I am so very thankful for the volunteers that came to the house and cooked food for us, and for the staff that was so supportive and very nice. They made us feel like family and really made us feel like we were home. It was our home away from home. Thank you so very mcuh RMH fo Hawaii for your love and support.

    26/05/2009 8:28pm

  • jamie eye says:

    Hello, I work at McDonalds in Lake City, Fl. I am only a cashier, but I make a huge difference in the lives of many children and families that I have never met. I have heard many stories from people whose lives, or the lives of someone they know who have been blessed by the coins that are dropped in the RMHC collection boxes. I encourage you to donate your change and to tell your friends and family!

    05/05/2009 12:20pm

  • Rebecca Winters says:

    In 1994, when our twins were born, it wasn't known right away if one of them, my son Joey, would survive. We lived pretty far away from the hospital. The rest of my family and myself were put up at the Ronald McDonald House for the 9 days it took for our son to be able to come home with us. This was in Toledo, Ohio in May of 1994. Ever since, being a frequent McDonalds customer, everytime I go to McDonalds I donate to the Ronald McDonald House-in the little containers they provide at the counter. I will continue to do this and am encouraging my kids to do the same. Joey and his brother will be turing 15 this month- and are both doing great.

    03/05/2009 4:43am

  • Sherrill Graff says:

    As a Stampin Up demonstrator we are blessed to go to the hospitals and make cards with the children. I live in Las Vegas Nevada and our Children's wing in the Sunrise Hospital is where I went to share my talents on day before Christmas a few years ago.
    There was a young boy being treated for severe burns over his entire body. His hair was singed, his eyebrows gone and most of his body was wrapped in gauze. He was wheeled into the craft room by his nurse who had to bribe him with a can of soda to get out of bed so she could change his sheets. This young boy was cradling his arm and said he was in too much pain to stamp a card but would be happy to watch. I was using snowflake stamps that day to create winter cards. He watched as I took a stipple brush and pressed it in the brilliant blue ink pad and on to the card front. I must have peaked his curiosity by all the fun I was having because it wasn't long and he was willing to give it a try. Using his left arm he supported his right one as he reached out for the stipple brush, you could tell this young boy was in a lot of pain. You could see the pain on his face as he gently pressed the stipple brush to the ink pad like he's seen me do. An amazing thing happened as he saw the ink get transferred to the card front. He started having fun and within a few minutes he vigorously pounded that stipple brush on the ink pad then onto the paper. As I watched him I could see a huge smile on his face and I could tell he didn't remember the pain he was in. For 15 minutes we stamped and played as he made a few cards then he noticed the nurse coming for him and his face turned back into a grimace and he cradled his arm again as he did before. We said goodbye and the nurse wheeled him away.
    Each time I remember this experience tears well up in my eyes and my heart warms with gratitude for the role I was able to play in helping that child be pain free for a few moments on that winter day before Christmas. I have been blessed with many experiences like this one and cherish every memory knowing Stampin Up demonstrators like me make a difference every day of or lives. Even when we are not stamping with the children we are making cards to be given to them during their hospital stay. It's a blessing to know each card has the ability to put a smile on a child's face.


    May God bless you and your family,
    Sherrill Graff istmpnv@aol.com
    Check out my blog
    http://latenitestampinwithsherill.blogspot.com/

    20/04/2009 8:22am

  •  says:

    Its amazing the really simple things that make a big difference in the lives of the families who are served by RMHC programs. Volunteer today!

    02/04/2009 12:42pm

  • Megan Severs says:

    It really is pretty incredible to hear the amount of people who've been touched by RMHC in some way - whether they've stayed in the house, have had a love one who's stayed there, or have even just volunteered their time in some way.

    02/04/2009 8:44am

  •  says:

    Looking forward to signing up for some volunteer opportunities soon!

    01/04/2009 9:33pm

  • Sean Embury says:

    Keep up the good work RMHC! I'll be spreading the word and signing up for some volunteer duty.

    01/04/2009 7:12pm

  •  says:

    RMHC Global already has over 1100 fans on Facebook! Many thanks to the our fans for helping to spread the word. We know there are many fans of our local RMHC Chapters as well!

    01/04/2009 2:32pm

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