Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland, Inc.

·       [8] Health

• Ronald McDonald House – A home away from home for families whose children are receiving medical treatment at area hospitals. The home-like environment, essential resources, services, and support offered at the House have provided hope to more than 35,000 families from every county in the State of Ohio, all 50 States across the country, and 83 countries around the world since 1979. RMH serves about 1,500 families each year at the House.

• Ronald McDonald Family Rooms – An extension of the House into the hospitals, the Family Room provides a respite, just steps away from the sick child’s bed. Family Rooms are staffed by volunteers from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and include a lounge area, kitchen with food available free of charge, play area for the sibling of the patient, computer with internet access, laundry room, and showers. RMH has Family Rooms at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, Fairview Hospital and MetroHealth Medical Center. Each year, about 75,000 visitors utilize one of the Family Rooms.

• Red Treehouse – A web-based program created in 2004 by a diverse group of organizations that lead the effort in helping parents who have a child with a chronic illness or disability and the professionals who assist them to navigate the healthcare maze. In 2011, RMH partnered with Ohio Family and Children First to expand the Red Treehouse website statewide. The program is now available in all 88 counties. The website address is www.redtreehouse.org.

Cleaning and Chores: A home for 55 families demands continuous clean-up, which is easy if many join together to tackle the jobs. Come in to help clean out kitchen cupboards, disinfect the playroom, tidy up storage areas, dust the bookshelves, organize the linen closet and more! Household chores can be fun when done in cooperation with friends, in an environment which appreciates your visit. Chore groups are scheduled based on House needs and availability, groups of 10 or less are preferred.

Gardening: A day outside gardening is a nice break from a day in the classroom! We have beautifully landscaped yards and gardens, and we rely on volunteers to help maintain them. Roll up your shirt sleeves for a day of weeding, mulching, and leaf raking. Instruction and tools are provided. Garden groups are generally scheduled weekday mornings from May through September. Groups of 10 or less preferred, occasionally larger groups are needed for big projects.

Family Meal Preparation: After a long day at the hospital, families staying at the Ronald McDonald House always appreciate a hot meal. We need people willing to prepare a meal for 80-100 people and serve it here at the House. Volunteers provide the food and the labor; we provide the facility and cooking equipment. After cooking, volunteers are welcome to stay to eat and visit with the families (the number of meals prepared should increase based on the size of the group). Meals are scheduled in advance based on House needs and availability. Dinners are scheduled daily. Breakfast/brunch and lunch meals are best when scheduled on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. To avoid overcrowding in the kitchen, we ask that you limit the size of your group to 8 people or less.

Craft and Entertainment Activities: Have a special talent or skill to share? Maybe your group would like to consider organizing a craft activity, cookie baking & decorating event, or musical performance here at the House. During the evenings and weekends, families are sometimes looking for things to do. Come share your creativity and be part of our House.

*Please note, all volunteers must be 13 years of age or older to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland. Adequate supervision helps ensure a good volunteer experience for all – for student groups, we recommend one adult for every 4 students. If you have a large group, consider scheduling multiple dates to volunteer so that everyone has an opportunity to contribute.

In addition, there are many off-site activities that groups can participate in that will directly benefit the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland.

Share-a-Night Campaign: To stay at our house, families are asked to pay $20 per night. The actual cost to us is much higher. For some families, even the $20 is a hardship. Our House never turns a family away because of inability to pay. Consequently, we depend on your gifts to our “Share-a-Night” fund to cover the costs of those families who cannot pay. Get creative to mobilize your group for this important fundraising effort! Consider holding a car wash, bake sale, casual dress-down day or other special event to see how many restful nights at the Ronald McDonald House your group can fund.

Canned Food Drive: Often, it is difficult for our families to get out to the grocery store. We rely on the generosity of donors to help us keep our pantry stocked, so families here can remain nourished when they truly need to remain healthy for their children. All non-perishables such as cereal, canned fruit, soup, and vegetables are appreciated.

Pull Tab Collection: Our House collects pull tabs from aluminum beverage cans for recycling. The money raised is put into our Family Fund, so we can do special things for those who stay with us. This is a great school or office project and an easy way that everyone can help us raise awareness and funds. Our recycling efforts generate thousands of dollars annually, so those tabs really do add up!

Shop from our Wish List: Household supplies are used quickly in our large home filled with 55 families. Also, gift cards for local gas stations, pharmacies, and other stores are always appreciated. Our current wish list is always available on our website at http://www.rmhcleveland.org/wish-list.