Ronald McDonald House

I'm volunteering at the House every Monday and Friday for 3-4 hours. I've really enjoyed my first two times there. Friday I met a four year old girl who almost drown when she was two and has been through lots of therapy. She had the biggest smile and was so happy! Today I baked with a group of children who are volunteering in the house for vacation bible school. I also talked with a 20 year old mother who gave birth to twins in early May. She is staying at the house because her baby boys are in the NICU.

The house has eight bedrooms, several bathrooms, a big kitchen, living area, and two laundry rooms. Families stay there when they have a child at the hospital for different reasons. Some come for several nights in a row or sporadically in a time period. They have a couple of children with leukemia so they come when they have chemo treatments. The house is always at capacity with a pretty long waiting list. The longest a family has stayed at the house was around 180 days. Churches, organizations, and people deliver dinner every night to the house. They collect pop tabs as a way to earn money. You wouldn't believe the amount of pop tabs that they currently have at the house. People and organizations drop them off and send them.

I'm really glad I decided to volunteer my time. I feel good about helping others...even it is in a small way. If you want to collect pop tabs for the house...I will gladly accept them at anytime. :)