HEART OF THE FAMILY
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley (RMHCCV) is more than just a place to stay. It “provides a ‘home away from home’ and resources for the families of hospitalized children,” explains Alene Mestjian, the chapter’s Director of Development. “Our goal is to create a world where all children have access to medical care, and their families are supported and actively involved in their children’s care.” The mission of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) has remained steadfast since the organization’s founding over four decades ago.
The original Central Valley location opened on Fresno’s Millbrook Avenue in 1984 as the fourth RMHC within California—this one in partnership with Valley Children’s Hospital. As the hospital continued to grow, the needs of the families staying there followed. In February of 2001, RMHCCV opened the doors of its current facility in Madera, expanding to include 18 bedrooms, located adjacent to Valley Children’s Hospital.
“The 18 guest suites at the Ronald McDonald House are at full capacity every single night.” Wait-listed families can utilize the Day Room. “Our Day Room program allows families, who do not have an overnight guest suite, to check into the house to eat, take a nap, and relax while their child is receiving medical treatment,” Mestjian shares. “In the evenings, this room becomes our ‘Spare Room,’ where families can sleep prior to an early morning surgery at the hospital. In 2019 alone, we served 1,630 families from nine counties in California.”
“McDonald’s support extends from monetary contributions and volunteerism, to cause-related marketing promotions and the space to place RMHC Donation Boxes that raise money for chapters around the world,” clarifies Mestjian. Though the McDonald’s system is their largest corporate partner, RMHC rely on and greatly value donations from the community and other corporate partners, as well as volunteer support.
Coronavirus has greatly affected volunteer involvement at the Ronald McDonald House. Meals From the Heart has been paused due to social distancing restrictions—however, Adopt A Meal was created to fill its void. AmazonSmile is an easy way to lend support—through it, Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to RMHC. “This works really well for us as we are always in need of household staples available on Amazon, like snacks and cleaning supplies,” Mestjian reveals. Donors can access the RMHCCV Amazon Wish List via their Facebook every Wednesday.
Three major fundraising events support the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley: the Red Heart Ball, the Sporting Clays Classic, and the FORE! The House Golf Tournament. “We also actively fundraise on social media with our Dollars For Dinner crowdfunding campaign in August of each year.” Mestjian adds, “In the summer of 2019, the new Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley Ambassador Program launched,” now considered one of the most precious initiatives of that year. Utilizing “young men and women of social influence … What resulted was a beautiful partnership with a new generation of donors in the Central Valley.” The RMHCCV invites you to be one of those fledgling donors, through whatever means possible.
LB How has coronavirus affected volunteerism and fundraising events at the Ronald McDonald House?
AM Implications from COVID-19 have drastically affected our volunteer programs and fundraising events. Our beloved Meals From the Heart program, which invites multiple volunteer groups to the house each day, has been temporarily suspended, causing a huge financial burden on our operations. Our three major fundraising events are also in jeopardy, with the cancellation of the 14th Annual Sporting Clays Classic in May. We are hopeful that our 9th Annual FORE! The House Golf Tournament will go on as planned on October 19th at Copper River Country Club.
LB Explain the Ronald McDonald House’s Adopt A Meal program.
AM In response to the overwhelming support for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley during these uncertain times, we launched the Adopt A Meal program to give donors the opportunity to give a monetary gift to the house so that we can purchase meals for our guest families. Donors can text MEALS to 20222 to automatically give $25, or visit our website to learn how to support further. This campaign has been such a blessing and we are so grateful for our generous community!
LB Tell us about the Ronald McDonald House’s involvement in the #GivingTuesdayNow campaign.
AM We participated in the #GivingTuesdayNow campaign due to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. As our volunteer programs were suspended and events were cancelled so abruptly, our charity faced huge financial challenges in response to the swift changes made in response to the coronavirus. Thus, the #GivingTuesdayNow campaign invited our generous community to support the house during these trying times, raising over $10,000 in just a few short days.
LB Share how people can still support the Ronald McDonald House’s work despite societal constraints.
AM We are deeply appreciative of our community of generous donors and welcome their support in every way! Sharing about our organization on social media is such a great way to support our cause—we are always sharing good news and inspiring messages of support, and would love your help in sharing on your own social media channels and with your network of friends. Of course, giving a monetary or in-kind gift to support our operations is also an excellent way to give back.
Ronald McDonald House
9161 Randall Way
Madera, CA 93636
559.447.6770
www.rmhccv.org
Managing Editor Lauren Barisic
Photographer Jaime Dillmore
