Visit to Ronald McDonald House

The Dundas Valley Sunrise Rotary Club holds several meetings each year at various offsite businesses or service providers and today's regular meeting was at Ronald McDonald House. Sharon Lacey, chair of Vocational Services arranged the offsite club visit to the newly built and renovated Ronald McDonald House conveniently located adjacent to McMaster Children's Hospital. She arrived with a large box of breakfast fare purchased at a local McDonalds. 

As members arrived at Ronald McDonald House they were greeted by Director of Development Debbie Logel Butler and development officers Sarah DeLuca, Whitney Albright and Janice Shearer (not in the photo). Debbie gave a brief overview of the new facility before breaking the Rotarians and guests in groups and visiting the common areas.

The reconstruction increased the number of rooms from 15 to 40 and added several family meeting and recreational rooms, a new state of the art kitchen and dining area, a theatre room and a family kitchen where up to three families can prepare their own meals. The piece de resistance is a wonderful children's play area where adults must be accompanied by a child to enter.

The new facility cost just over $13 million with $8.6 million coming from government infrastructure funds and the remainder through fundraising. Unfortunately an additional $1.5 million needs to be fundraised because the project was unable to be completed by the final dates established by the federal government and that funding was removed.

With the increase in the number of rooms the annual operating budget has gone from $600 000 to just over $1.5 million. Families pay $12 per night which is just a fraction of the $139 per night it costs. McDonalds contributes 20% of the operating cost with fundraising accounting for the remaining 80%.

Families are referred through the Children's Hospital Social Work department based on the severity of the child's illness and the distance the family home is from the hospital. Stays vary from one night to one year. Local families have the opportunity for short stays to give them respite from bedside vigils. A Family Room at the hospital is also managed by Ronald McDonald House.

Ms. Logel Butler indicated that volunteers are always needed and interested individuals can phone 905 521 9983 ext. 2110 for more information. As well, there is a full-time chef in the kitchen and he welcomes volunteers to assist in meal preparation.

The Hamilton Ronald McDonald House is the second largest in Canada and is always full. Individuals, service clubs and businesses are encouraged to donate their time or money to give families the opportunity to stay close to their ill child when at McMaster Children's Hospital.