Recent News on Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House Charities

Reprinted from Chattanoogan.com

 Parents Of 6-Year-Old With Eye Tumor Featured During Ronald McDonald House Telethon

The Hassevoorts are among several families that will share their story during the live telecast of the RMHC Annual Telethon on WTVC, NewsChannel 9 Saturday, March 3. Darrin and Christine Hassevoort with their children Ian and Sophie.

Darrin and Christine Hassevoort are among 21,000 visitors who seek respite each year in the Ronald McDonald Family Room located inside Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. The Ronald McDonald Family Room is one of three cornerstone programs operated by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga. The Ronald McDonald Family Room is a place where families can rest and regroup right in the hospital close to their sick child.
 
The Hassevoorts credits the Family Room for providing their family comfort, hope and much needed rest while their son Ian was undergoing chemotherapy for a rare eye condition known as Optic Glioma which essentially has made him blind in one eye.
 
“Having that place where you can get coffee and take a break. You want to be strong for your children yet you’re scared as parents,” said Darrin Hassevoort. “You need those moments of feeling normal then you can go back to the pokes and prods.”
  
Helping families during difficult times and creating a sense of normalcy is what Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House Charities does with programs like the Ronald McDonald Family Room and Ronald McDonald House. 

The Hassevoorts are among several families that will share their story during the live telecast of the RMHC Annual Telethon on WTVC, NewsChannel 9.  The Telethon airs on Saturday from 7-11 p.m.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga announces 2012 fundraising events. Click here to download a copy.

Ronald McDonald House Re-Opening This Week - Click Here To Read Full Article

2011 Donations to Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House Charities Highlight Strength In Numbers in Community Support

 In 2011, hundreds of families in the Tennessee Valley and beyond found strength and support while dealing with critically ill children because of generous individual and corporate donors to Ronald McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®) of Greater Chattanooga. Although McDonald's^® is the Charity's largest corporate donor, RMHC relies on strength in numbers in community, individual and corporate supporters, to deliver its programs to hundreds of families each day.

This year alone, contributions have helped RMHC of Greater Chattanooga provide a “home away from home” for an average of 50 families per month, offer respite in the Ronald McDonald Family Room to 1,833 guests a month, help 645 children exercise using  SmartMoovz fitness and nutritional program and award 40 local high school seniors with $40,000 in scholarships during their first year in college.

 RMHC is everybody’s Charity and support for its programs and services extend far beyond the McDonald's community.  In 2011:

• BrandSource^® donated major appliances to equip our Ronald McDonald House
• Thanks to La-Z-Boy^®, the "Official Furniture Provider" for RMHC, families staying at the Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room found the comforts of home in familiar chairs and sofas.
• Invista and Tandus Flooring provided carpets and installation support to help with our House remodeling projects
• Benjamin Moore supplied paint to help make our walls brighter
• The Affinity Group provided expert counsel and support on mold remediation
• For over 9,000 nights, parents and other family members sleep soundly on beds that Tempur-Pedic^® donated. The list goes on and on. There are so many to thank.

"We are grateful for the community partnerships with area businesses and the generosity of individuals. There is tremendous power in our donors working together so a child can have access to the medical services they need as well as have their parents close by to give them hugs, kisses and, most importantly, love, which helps them cope better and recover faster,"  Jane Kaylor, executive director, RMHC of Greater Chattanooga.

 
Join Us For 1 Campaign

Thank you for supporting the "Join Us for 1" Campaign. Your efforts and support helped us to raise more than $10,000 locally to help children and families at your Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House.

View Photo Highlights from "Join Us For 1"

 Lake Winnepesaukah raises nearly $18,000 in support of families at RMHC

Dillard's Donates Funds from cookbook sales to RMHC of Greater Chattanooga

Do you have an RMHC story of strength, support and hope that you would like to share? Share your story and inspire others.