When a child is sick, she needs nothing more than her family. Ronald McDonald House Charities provides a place of rest for critically ill children to get the medical care they need with their family close by.
Of the nearly 380 Ronald McDonald Houses in the world, Cincinnati is home to the largest one, just steps from their partner in care, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center.
In 2022, Cincinnati’s RMHC welcomed families from 44 states and seven countries, providing over 50,000 nights of care. They do all this without a fee for families.
Cincinnati’s RMHC can care for 177 families every night, including parents, children receiving outpatient treatment, siblings and other family members. By easing caregivers’ financial and emotional burdens and taking care of critical practical needs, RMHC allows parents to focus entirely on caring for their children.
Kristen Klein, chief marketing officer for RMHC, describes the joy she receives from being part of this organization. “I think if you asked any of the staff who work at Ronald McDonald House, they would tell you that we consider ourselves lucky to be able to work here. Yes, some days are incredibly difficult because you must comfort a family during the darkest time in their lives. But there is also so much joy and hope. There is nothing like it when you hear a child tell you, ‘No one looked at me like I was weird for being in a wheelchair. I could just be a kid.’ That’s what our House is all about.”
With families living at RMHC for weeks or months at a time, the House offers many things they are used to enjoying at home. Cincinnati RMHC has a library, a salon with free haircuts, a business center, kitchen spaces for preparing a favorite meal, an active play space, a game room, an arts and crafts room, an outdoor playground, multiple rooms to play with toys, gathering spaces, a fitness center, a large dining room, a professional kitchen and a beautiful rooftop space. Each of the 177 rooms features a private bathroom and storage.
All these amenities are not the only way that Cincinnati’s RMHC makes their families feel at home. “We offer families a variety of activities to relax, recharge and just do fun things together as a family,” Klein says. These include daily visits from therapy pets and Family Fun Nights.
“These nights are built around a theme and feature a variety of games and decorations, and almost always include a dance party! Our families love to dance!” Klein says.
One very special place at RMHC is the toy closet. When a family checks in, every child is given a ticket to the toy closet. There, they can pick out any toy they want to welcome them to the House. “It’s a way for us to start to make them feel good about living with us and give them something to enjoy after a long day at the hospital,” Klein says. “Children also receive a ticket to the toy closet if they celebrate a birthday with us or have any other significant event, such as a major surgery. Toys are very important at Ronald McDonald House!”
Volunteers Needed
Volunteer opportunities are once again available at RMHC. There are many ways to become involved. Regular volunteers commit to two 4-hour shifts per month. These roles include welcoming families, keeping guest family supply areas well-stocked or maintaining common spaces such as the family kitchen and lounge. For those looking for a shorter commitment, groups can come in on the weekend to host families for ice cream socials, hot chocolate bars or cookie-making fun.
Taste of Hope is a very popular volunteer opportunity. Groups of 4-10 people prepare a meal for the guest families (300+ people) under the guidance of one of the chefs. To help support the program, groups donate $350 to prepare lunch or $500 to prepare dinner or weekend brunch. It is a popular choice for corporate groups, birthday and anniversary celebrations, as well as school and church groups.
Want to support but can’t show up in person? Another way to help RMHC is a Wish List Drive. “We’ve had lots of fun working with schools and companies who get creative in ways to secure items off our Amazon wish list,” Klein says. “Whether it’s a competition between grades or departments or creative events that raise money to purchase items, we love seeing the creativity and the groups energized towards a common goal. We are blessed to have organizations reach out to us at all times of the year. We always tell people that when you think of everything you need to run your household, we need the same things – just times 177!”
Not Just the Basics
Supporting their families means more than just providing for their basic needs. Cincinnati’s RMHC has placed an increased focus on practicing trauma-informed care. Every family that comes to RMHC has experienced some level of trauma, and for many of them, it is more than a medical diagnosis.
“Trauma-informed care is a mindset,” Klein says. “It shifts the focus from ‘What’s wrong with you?’ to ‘What happened to you?’ Being trauma-informed means we recognize that life experiences play a critical role in shaping how a person functions down to their core. It allows us to understand that there is always meaning behind behavior and to have the skills to respond in a trauma-informed way.”
Though the staff of RMHC are not caregivers in the medical sense, their goal is to help families going through trauma get the care they need.
Many of the families at RMHC have children with rare diseases or diagnoses. They may not have ever known another family going through the same experience. But then they check in to RMHC and, within moments, find someone who knows just what they are experiencing.
At Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House, no one has to feel alone.
Can you support Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House? Visit rmhcincinnati.org to volunteer or donate.