Ronald McDonald House Charities

SHOPPING FOR RMHC TO HELP FAMILIES HEAL TOGETHER

Between April 16 and June 1, visitors to our RMHC site, www.rmhc.org, will find a new and meaningful reason to shop. RMHC will spur charitable donations by engaging a younger generation of donors, the Millennials, with a call to action to shop and make symbolic purchases online. This savvy, altruistic generation will virtually enter a Ronald McDonald House with the ability to shop and symbolically buy small items that in a Ronald McDonald House would make a big difference providing hope and comfort to help families in need. To read the full story click here. Or to shop now go click here.

Village of Gingerbread Houses Helps RMHC Families Stay Together

RMHC is encouraging families, friends and supporters to make a donation via a “Home Sweet Home” interactive webpage to help raise $550,000 by December 31 to provide stability and vital resources to 4.5 million children annually worldwide through its three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House, the Ronald McDonald Family Room and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.

The virtual experience invites visitors to donate and decorate a virtual gingerbread house to honor a loved one or share with friends via social media and Facebook. Read the complete story here.

RMHC Scholarship Programs Open the Door to a Higher Education

Horace Mann, an American education reformer, once said that “A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated.” And, most agree that an education and a passion for learning help fuel economic sustainability helping our communities grow and flourish. From today until January 27, 2012, students who demonstrate a desire to learn, have contributed to their community and have the drive to attend college, can apply online for a scholarship through the RMHC U.S. Scholarship Program. Read the complete story here.

 

RMHC Awards of Excellence Honors Former Mayor Richard M. Daley & Maggie Daley, Dr. Walter A. Orenstein and Alex C. Rodriguez

In honor of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improve the lives of children, RMHC hosted its 27th Annual Awards of Excellence celebration on Saturday, November 5, in Rosemont, Ill. The annual event presented three Awards of Excellence and grants of $100,000 each to individuals selected from across the globe, including:

Former Mayor Richard M. Daley and Maggie Daley are catalysts within the Chicago community, creating community-based programs that address the city’s educational, public safety, and neighborhood development.

Dr. Walter A. Orenstein, M.D. is a pediatrician, teacher and tireless proponent of immunizations. During his 26-year career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) he has had an extraordinary impact on the health of children throughout the United States and around the world.

Alex C. Rodriguez is a McDonald’s® Owner/Operator and a passionate supporter of RMHC. He is the chairman of RMHC of South Florida and an active supporter of the RMHC®/HACER® Scholarship program. For the past 20 years, Rodriguez’s leadership, generosity and compassionate spirit has touched the lives of over 22,000 families in need.

In addition to honoring these outstanding individuals, the 2011 Awards of Excellence celebration included a dinner, entertainment by Grammy Award winning artist Richard Marx and special guest, Rita Wilson.

A live and silent auction also took place throughout the evening, where attendees had the opportunity to bid on more than 400 elite items including the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game, a 2012 Ford Explorer, tickets to the 2012 London Olympics, 2012 Masters Golf Tournament tickets and hospitality package, and an authentic print by acclaimed Brazilian artist, Romero Britto. The event raised more than $3 million to help RMHC provide stability and vital resources to families in need. For complete story, click here.

First-time Team RMHC Marathon Runner Dedicates 2011 Chicago Marathon to Eight-Year-Old Son Battling Cancer

Mark Johnston and more than 300 Runners from 29 States and eight countries will raise $500,000 to help RMHC provide stability and resources to children and families.

Running a marathon is a challenge; both physically and mentally, but to Mark Johnston, it’s nothing compared to the race his son Luke has been running battling cancer for the past four years. In honor of his son, and the Ronald McDonald Houses that have offered him and his family a place to stay while they seek out the best treatment for Luke, Johnston is running to raise money for RMHC during the 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Read the full story here.

 

 

Bubba Watson's Heart Is Even Bigger Than His Golf Game

PGA Tour player Bubba Watson announced a significant donation of $100,000 to support the Ronald McDonald House® in Pensacola, a program of RMHC of Northwest Florida, during the global organization’s second annual RMHC Family Golf Outing on Monday, September 12, 2011.

The golf event raised $1.4 million in an effort to support the considerable growth projected to provide for the needs of families. By 2015, the Charity expects to open approximately 27 new Ronald McDonald Houses, 30 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and 21 Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles. Recognizing that these RMHC programs are vital to ensure families find the stability and resources to keep their child healthy and happy, Bubba gave his time and talent during the golf outing event. To read complete story click here.

RMHC Awards $400,000 in Scholarships to Four College-Bound Hispanic Students

This year marks the fourth year that RMHC awards four outstanding Hispanic students with an RMHC/HACER National Scholarship of $100,000 thanks to funding from Hispanic McDonald’s Owner/Operators. To date, $1.5 million in RMHC/HACER National Scholarships has been awarded to Hispanic students across the country. RMHC/HACER National Scholarship recipients are currently completing their undergraduate degrees at universities throughout the country including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Brown University. This summer RMHC welcomes four more students to the RMHC/HACER National Scholarship family. These students are:

• José Limón – Los Angeles, California

• Sophia Ottleben – Mesa, Arizona

• Francisco Peña – McAllen, Texas

• Loren Ramírez – Alpharetta, Georgia

Since 1985, the RMHC/HACER Scholarship Program has awarded more than $21 million to Hispanic students. This program is one way in which RMHC provides stability and resources to families so that their children can reach their full potential. Read the full story here.

School of Rock Teams Up With RMHC for Benefit Tour Kicking off July 9

School of Rock and RMHC are teaming up to bring an inspiring summer concert series to cities nationwide. Celebrating 50 years of Rock and Roll, the “ROCK THE HOUSE” tour will kick off on July 9th in San Diego. Headlining the tour are the School of Rock’s “AllStars” which represent the top tier talent coming out of School of Rock’s national music program. All net proceeds from the 22-city benefit tour will go to participating RMHC Chapters. For more information about School of Rock, please visit www.SchoolofRock.com.

RMHC Invites People to Give One Penny at a Time to Help Families Stay Together

For RMHC it all started with one: one child who needed health care, one family who hoped to stay nearby and one community who came together to build the first Ronald McDonald House. And, just one penny can make a difference today in the lives of children and families. The Charity is asking people to support their 1 campaign and “Join RMHC for 1” on July 1, 2011, by adding one penny, one dime, quarter or dollar to the RMHC Donation Boxes at local participating McDonald’s restaurants.

Kim Hill, a little girl who battled leukemia, was that one child who inspired the RMHC system. Her mother, Fran Hill and her father, former NFL Philadelphia Eagle’s player Fred Hill, slept on hospital chairs and ate from vending machines to stay by her side. The Hill family’s struggle to remain close to their daughter while receiving treatment inspired one doctor, one football team, one community and one company, McDonald’s, to create and build the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia in 1974. This House, a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously ill children like Kim, has grown exponentially serving more than 7200 families each night in the more than 306 Houses across the globe. To read full story, click here.

One Wish For RMHC

This July, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino will collect donations in its fountain for Ronald McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®) of Greater Las Vegas as part of the non-profit’s nationwide “Join Us For 1” fundraising campaign.

“Join Us For 1” is a one-day-only fundraising event happening on Friday, July 1 in which coins will be collected at participating McDonald’s^® restaurants and a couple fountains.  Miracle Mile Shops is extending the campaign locally by collecting coins in its fountain throughout the entire month of July.  All month, every coin tossed into Miracle Mile Shops’ fountain as well as the center’s indoor rainstorm will be donated to RMHC of Greater Las Vegas to help create and support programs that directly improve the health, education and well-being of children in the community.

Photo courtesy of © Erik Kabik/ Retna Ltd

RMHC Helps to Create Sustainable Communities Around the World Through Green Environmental Practices

A typical household of four in the United States uses 920 kWh of electricity per month and 400 gallons of water each day. Now think about how much energy is used for a 25-bedroom home or how many loads of laundry need to be washed for 25 families every day. With more than 300 Ronald McDonald Houses around the world, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) understands that its work to support more than 7,200 families every night in its Ronald McDonald Houses can add up to a lot of energy, heat and water. For this reason, RMHC has been conscious of taking care of the environment through the implementation of local environmental initiatives at some of its Houses and programs around the world. To learn more click here.

 

The Ronald McDonald House in Atlanta provides a supportive living environment for guests with abundant natural lighting, toxin-free materials, native landscaping, and carefully controlled indoor air quality.

RMHC Global Board Member Receives the Bay Area Jefferson Award for Public and Community Service

Wai-Ling Eng, a member of the RMHC Global Board of Trustees since 2005 and a McDonald's Owner/Operator in the San Francisco Bay area since 1990 has been recognized with the Bay Area Jefferson Award, an award that honors community and public service in America. Through her volunteer work, her involvement with RMHC and her commitment to supporting the educational aspirations of outstanding students in her community, Wai-Ling Eng is an inspiration. Eng's story will air on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 on the 6PM CBS San Francisco news. To read the full story click here.

Digital and Social Media Networks Take RMHC Volunteerism to a New Level

After spending 16 hours at the hospital with their child, there is nothing more comforting for a RMHC family than to come back to a home-cooked meal prepared by loving volunteers. Kicking off National Volunteer Week, April 10 - 16, 2011, and to honor these volunteers who strengthen RMHC families every day, as well as to inspire more, the Charity is launching a virtual tour of a Ronald McDonald House on its website, www.rmhc.org. Visitors will be able to see the compassionate care that makes the Houses into homes; be inspired by ways they can use their time and talent to give families more time to spend with their sick children; sign up to volunteer and share their activities with their social media networks. To read more click here.

Share a Heart for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas

To raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas, McDonald's restaurants in the region are encouraging people to "share their hearts" leading up to Valentine's Day. From January 26 until February 14, customers can support their local Chapter by buying paper hearts for $1 when visiting participating McDonald's restaurants. The hearts, with the donor's name written on them, will be displayed in each restaurant.

All proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas. For more information, please visit http://www.rmhc-carolinas.org

Guerrilla Marketing: A New Way to Tell the RMHC Story

Always looking to find new ways to tell how RMHC impacts families and children, its Strength in Numbers campaign illustrates the Charity’s ability to create networks of support for families. This story has been published in the online and print edition of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

To help bring this to life, in a unique way, RMHC is using guerilla marketing to focus on ‘numbers’ important to its Chapters and the families within the communities it supports. To read full story click here or visit rmhc.org/24 or rmhc.org/7.