SECOND Ronald McDonald Family Room®
Opens at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital
Parents with a seriously ill or injured child at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital will get support, and have a chance to rest and recharge in the newly-completed Ronald McDonald Family Room on Level 2. The room is a beautiful, soft landing spot for patient families that need it most and offers a quiet dedicated respite space for caregivers and loved ones with a child receiving treatment within the Pediatric ICU, Neuro Trauma Unit, and Cardiac Unit.
A ceremonial Ribbon Cutting was held on December 6 to officially open the second Family Room at Primary Children’s Hospital. The Family Room includes a quiet respite area, kitchenette with snacks and beverages, restroom, shower and laundry areas, as well as four retreat rooms for overnight sleeping and daytime naps.
“Many families with a hospitalized child need somewhere to step away for a few minutes to regain their own strength so that they can, in turn, better support their child during treatment. But they don’t want to leave the hospital.” said Carrie Romano, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area (RMHC). “That’s why we felt it was important to partner with Primary Children’s to create this home-like Family Room, where families can remain near their loved ones, to help ease their pain, lift up their spirits and overcome their illness.”
Over four years ago RMHC opened the first Family Room on Level 3 and it has been an exceptional resource to patient families serving nearly 25,000 families with 287,000 visits, 3,825 naps, 5,759 overnight stays, and 1,434 meals.
“Having a seriously ill or injured child is often a very difficult time for parents and caregivers. The Level 2 Ronald McDonald Family Room at Primary Children’s Hospital would provide needed respite for care givers and loved ones with a child receiving care within the Pediatric ICU, Neuro Trauma Unit and Cardiac Unit.” said Katy Welkie, Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital CEO.
The Level 2 Family Room is open 24/7, Level 3 is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the year and both are free of charge. There are currently 225 Family Rooms in 23 countries and regions with 127 in the United States. While the Ronald McDonald Houses serve thousands of people referred from Primary Children’s each year, the Family Room Program allows Ronald McDonald House Charities to extend our mission to serve Salt Lake and Summit County families who do not stay at the House, as well as families from rural areas and surrounding states with children receiving care at the hospital.
Second Annual
Beaujolais Nouveau Fundraising Event
On November 17th the Red Shoe Society hosted their second annual Beaujolais Nouveau fundraising event. This was an intimate black-tie occasion at LaCaille which featured a cocktail reception, silent auction, uncorking of the Beaujolais Nouveau cask, gourmet dinner, live entertainment and dancing. It was a spirited night for all those that came together for a common passion – to strengthen families with seriously ill or injured children.
A special thank you to our event sponsors that offered their generous support: sPower, PrincePerelson, Cargo-Link International, CFA Society of Utah, Alyson Flynn Gaffney, Sorenson Capital, Merrill Lynch – the Jessup Group, and Maverick. We enjoyed sharing a fabulous evening with you and your guests! Thank you also to our JetBlue volunteers, community businesses and individuals who made our silent auction a success, as well as those who shared their time and talents to make this a festive night!
Cheers to our RMHC Red Shoe Society for volunteering their time and efforts to make this event a smashing success!
RMHC Staff make some delicious sparkling ornament cookies
from the Dillard’s Southern Living Cookbook!
Southern Living
Christmas Cookbook is Here!
Looking for the perfect gift for just about anybody (even ones who need adult supervision)? We’ve got you covered! The popular Southern Living Christmas Cookbook is here with the 2017 edition, and it’s available at your local Dillard’s store. Even better, 100% of the proceeds go to benefit RMHC! You could also pop in and purchase a copy – or five – in our gift shop.
We tested out a recipe in the House kitchen, and we can verify that the cookies were DELICIOUS! (We’re… not entirely sure who counts as the adult in the video above. Click and decide for yourself!) Enjoy!
Gifts That Make a Difference
What does it take to give a gift that really counts, that makes an impact? This time of year we do a lot of shopping, of wondering, of creating, and of being concerned that the presents we offer may not have the effect we’d like. We have a couple of suggestions that might help: First, try not to worry about it. Gifts that come from the heart always have a way of finding their way home – whether they’re handmade, come from Saks or the Dollar Store, or are simply a gift card. It really is the thought, the love, that counts. Second – think about making a planned gift to a charity you care about! Not only can you guarantee that your gift will have an impact, but you can know that yours will be a gift that can keep on giving for years to come.
Planned gifts are generous decisions made to secure the future for others. They can be given as a bequest in your will, as a recipient of life insurance, as part of retirement plan assets, or through charitable remainder trusts. Of course, gifts of cash, stocks, bonds and other securities during your lifetime are also effective – and all of these options bring important financial and tax benefits now and for your future estate. At Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area, we provide strength and support to families by helping them be stronger together during challenging times. Your gifts allow us to bring hope and help to sick or injured children through our programs and family-centered care, and planned gifts ensure that we will be able to keep our mission moving forward for years to come.
Please talk with your tax advisor or estate planner, and remember – when it comes to the best, most impactful gifts, it is the thought and the love that counts. Your support makes a difference. For more information, click here.
Happy Holidays!
Ollie’s second Birthday!
Please join us in celebrating Ollie’s second birthday! (In dog years he’ll be 14, so you could also commiserate with us for having a teenager on our hands.) Born Dec. 29, Ollie has been our House therapy dog for over a year and a half, and it’s hard to imagine the place without him. He’s a hypoallergenic chocolate brown labradoodle, very sociable, and an excellent snuggler. One of his favorite activities (besides visiting with everyone he come across) is jumping from bean bag chair to bean bag chair in the Theater Room – the puppy version of ‘The Floor is Lava’. Guest families have taken him straight to their hearts, and he’s even won over people who used to think they didn’t like dogs. What a good boy!
On the 29th the House will host a ‘BINGO’ – or rather, ‘OLLIE’-themed party for guest families. We’ll be enjoying treats and games and playing like puppies… and possibly jumping on bean bag chairs. Ollie would like to celebrate his big day on behalf of the Charity: during the week before there will be a Facebook fundraiser on Ollie’s page if you would like to make a gift! All our love to our wonderful therapy dog – cheers to TWO! And here’s to many more fantastic years to come!
Support Families
Utilizing New Family Room
Are you looking for ways to support this new program? Here is a variety of options for you to get involved and support families utilizing our new Family Room!
Wish List Items: Major needs are k-cups for coffee, hot chocolate and tea, non-dairy creamer, white full fitted sheets and individually wrapped snacks
Stock Our Shelves: A $1,000 donation to the Family Room Stock Our Shelves program allows RMHC to purchase needed food and supplies for the program to serve families
Adopt-A-Room: Since our Family Room is new, we are look for FOUR new Adopt-A-Room sponsors. This annual donation of $5,000 provides a nap and overnight stay for families 365 days a year!
Participate in End-of-Year Giving
Deck the halls… It’s that time of year… Walkin’ in a Winter… It’s finally (officially!) winter in Utah, that time when every introduction comes from a holiday song! One of the truly wonderful things about our supporters is that they are incredibly generous and dedicated all year long, sharing gifts and love for families with hospitalized children in every season. At the end of the year, though, the extra focus on family and caring for others throughout the coldest months really drives home the wish to be close to those who mean the most… and to help others do the same.
Additionally, ‘tis the season to make sure the accountant has something to be happy about in a few months when adding up the year’s deductions!
You can make the most of a year-end gift to Ronald McDonald House Charities for these and many other (all good) reasons… and we’ll show you how!
Participate in End-of-Year Giving by:
Corporate Giving
– Local businesses have a HUGE impact on community organizations through monetary gifts, offering to match gifts made by employees or other groups, and by encouraging employees to volunteer.
Adopt-A-Room
– Families, corporations, foundations, clubs, school groups, anyone can help make a difference for families in need by sponsoring a guest room at the House or Family Rooms for a year.
Stock Our Shelves
– These monthly, bi-annual, or annual donations make sure the kitchens at the House and Family Rooms are stocked with the staples needed to make a comforting, nourishing meal.
Stock Our Cart
– Reach out to families in area hospitals by supporting one of our Hospitality Carts, and help provide snacks, hygiene items, activity kits and more on a monthly, bi-annual, or annual basis.
Become a Grand Giver
– This elite group is made up of donors who have made a simple, personal gift of $1,000 or more to help keep the doors of Ronald McDonald House Charities open.
Memorial – Honorarium
– It’s a special kind of remembrance to make a gift in honor or in memory of a loved one, and that loving donation is reverently noted in our annual report.
Cash
– Simple and straightforward, a monetary gift goes directly toward funding the Charity’s operations and underwriting costs for families. $20 pays for one night’s stay. $140 covers a week for one family. $560 takes care of a month… and so on!
Stock gifts
– A generous (and sometimes surprising) way to support an organization is by gifting shares of stocks. It’s easier than you might think, and makes a definite impact for families!
Vehicle donation
– If you’ve got a clunker, a vehicle you’ve outgrown, or something you just don’t want taking up space, we can help! Your donated cars, trucks, RVs, or boats can do a world of good for families with seriously ill or injured children!
There’s still time in 2017 to support RMHC in any of these ways!
Benefits of my gift:
When you make a gift to benefit families supporting undergoing medical treatment, they are not the only ones to benefit. There are plenty of ways in which your generosity come back, and multiplies. Remember that charitable gifts are tax-deductible, and this benefit can create an appreciated windfall for your business or individual finances. Make your gift by December 31st to claim your deductions for the year! These kinds of benefits can also apply to stock gifts, maximizing the value of a donation to an organization and ‘re-gifting’ tax breaks for the donor.
When the holiday season ramps up, charitable giving increases. Holiday giving offers a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate gratitude for the gifts one has been given and compassion for others. Charitable gifts are valuable not only to offset organizational costs, but also for the bulwark of compassion and community built by participation in that organization’s goals and mission. When we encourage an atmosphere of charitable giving, we are training children, employees, and associates to do their part to create a better future for everyone.
And that’s a holiday gift worth singing about!
To learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities and how you can get involved, go to www.rmhslc.org. For questions about end-of-year gifts, please feel free to contact the Development Department at (801)363-4663, or Chief Development Officer Vickie Moschetti at vickie@rmhslc.org.
