May 2019

Ronald McDonald House and Family Room – Family Reunions

This year join us for our first ever Family Reunions! We are selecting sites like aquatic centers and pools that offer fun in the sun for the entire family and an opportunity to continue friendships that started with your original stay. We will host these events throughout the summer in the following locations:

Ogden, UT (June 21, 2019)

Lindon, UT (DATE TBD)

Rock Springs, WY (July 13, 2019 – International Days)

Salt Lake City, UT (DATE TBD)

If you are interested in getting updates on the Family Reunions and the specific locations and dates, text the word Families to 385-213-4379. You will receive a text message and a link that will ask you to give Ronald McDonald House Charities a rating out of 5 stars. Then you will be asked to respond to 5 questions about what information you are interested in receiving from us. You will automatically be entered to win a $50 gift card to Fandango.
Thank you and we hope to see you this summer!

The 2019 Spirit of Children Gala Impact

Meet Edgar – the Mayor of Ronald McDonald House

Edgar Perez has long been a member of the Ronald McDonald Family while receiving treatments at Shriners Hospital for Children. The staff, volunteers and guests staying at the House often call Edgar our Mayor. Well, on April 10, 2019 that became a reality when Salt Lake Mayor, Jackie Biskupski recognized Edgar as the Honorary Mayor of the House and presented him with a Key to the City. Edgar, in his new role, was invited to attend the Spirit of Children Gala with his mother Ivonne where they were both recognized. Edgar is a fixture at the House and just one example of the incredible families we serve. To read more about this special day you go to Deseret News Article.

Announcing our new Backyard Greenspace and Park!

We are thrilled to announce a new backyard greenspace and program expansion located directly North of the Ronald McDonald House on M Street. In the 30 years that RMHC has served pediatric patients and their families, there has never been a “yard” to complement the House. Until now! You can watch our announcement video HERE and get more information HERE.And, there is still time to get involved. We invite you to join us to create the backyard Park That LOVE Built by filling our park with love and critters…through our Adopt-A-Critter fundraising campaign. Simply select from a variety of animals and donation levels, and give it a name. We only have $100,000 to go to meet the total $3.1M goal. And now, every donation received will be matched by an Anonymous donor until we reach our goal! That means your donation will go twice as far through our and do twice as much good! If you have any additional questions, you can also contact Vickie Moschetti directly at 801-363-4663 or Vickie@rmhslc.org.

Download the 2018 Annual Report

2018 was an amazing year for a lot of reasons:

We celebrated our 30 year anniversary with gratitude for all the people, places and experiences that have shaped our organization;
We served more than 15,000 families through all of our programs;
We got to celebrate the 5th year anniversary of the Primary Children’s Hospital Level 3 Family Room and the 1st anniversary of the Primary Children’s Hospital Level 2 Family Room; and
We shared in countless moments, built new memories, and forged new friendships with a lot of amazing people.

So join us as we look back on an amazing 2018 by downloading a copy of our Annual Report directly from our website.

Curing with Kindness

Many, but not all of you may know, that Carrie Romano, our brilliant CEO, is in the midst of fighting her own health battle with breast cancer. In honor of his sister, Richard Romano has created a fundraising challenge for our Ronald McDonald House programs that you can access at this link HERE.

We know a lot of people are asking how to help Carrie, and as you will see if you click on the link, her only request has been to “use your concern for her as a fuel for kindness and giving.”

This can be done by donating dollars to support this fundraiser, volunteering at the House or Family Room in honor of Carrie, or “curing with kindness” in a way that makes sense for you.

For ultimately, the world will be a better place if we would “Give Like Carrie”.

So, now it is time to get to know Carrie a little bit better.

Full Name: Carrie Romano

Title: Chief Executive Officer

When did you start working with Ronald McDonald House? November 2010

Why do you love your job? I love my job because I get to see the very best parts of humanity each day. I love meeting the courageous child patients we serve along with their amazing warrior parents and siblings that fight alongside them. They have so much to teach us. I can see our courtyard from my office, and I love watching the kids light up when they first see our fire station playhouse within the courtyard. When the weather is nice, the families love to hang out together in the courtyard. As I watch them, I know they feel welcome, safe and cared for at our Ronald McDonald House.

What is Your personal Favorite Quote/Inspiration: My favorite quote is “Be truthful, gentle and fearless.” – Gandhi and my favorite personal quote is “Leave it better than you found it.”