McDonald's builds houses of hope

by Courtney Ortega, co-feature

One of the greatest and most precious gifts that life can give one is a healthy child. Yet life is always unpredictable.                                                                                                                        

Some find themselves robbed of this joyous experience, whether by the birth of a premature baby or a young child diagnosed with cancer. Some children are born healthy, but have to fight for their selves after a horrific car accident. Many families are left to seek the finest healthcare, leaving many with no other option than to travel well outside of the area of where they live.                                                                                                                                               

“It’s not like anybody schedules these things,” says Dina Jeffries, outreach coordinator for the Ronald McDonald House of the Southwest. “No one actually sits down and thinks. ‘OK I think I’m going to pencil in a car accident for 2:15 Friday’. It just doesn’t happen that way.”             

It is times like these that the Ronald McDonald House Charities were made for. Established in memoriam of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, the Ronald McDonald House Charities was first founded in 1984, dedicated to not only serving children who were critically ill, but providing service for the needs of their families as well.                                                          

The charity was established around 10 years after the first Ronald McDonald House was constructed in Philadelphia with the persistence of Dr. Audrey Evans and Philadelphia Eagles’ tight end Fred Hill. Hill and his wife had a daughter who suffered from leukemia at the time. They recognized the need for accommodations for other families who found themselves far from home and literally living out of hospital vending machines.                                                           

Today there are 272 Ronald McDonald House programs, one of which is located in Lubbock, Texas as a part of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest, Inc. chapter. It primarily serves West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Opening its doors on March 10, 1988, the house accommodated up to nine families, until the addition of eight more bedrooms in 1996 increased that number to 17. Each private bedroom is decorated in a decorative motif, and includes two beds, a private bath, and telephone.                                                                  

However, there are some minor requirements that families must meet in order to be referred as guests in the Lubbock house. Families cannot be from the within the Lubbock County limits, and their child must be 18 years old or younger.  It is also requested that guests contribute a $15 donation a night, but as Jeffries was quick to point out, “we never turn anyone away, nor do we treat those who cannot pay any differently than those who can.”                                                    

 The Lubbock house, which served more than 2,000 people in 2005 and is expected to more than triple that figure this year, is fully equipped with a large kitchen, living area, playroom, and a downstairs family room. The grounds are outfitted with playground equipment for outdoor fun. More than just assisted housing for those in the time of need, one cannot help but notice the immediate warm and inviting atmosphere upon entering.                                                                        

 The staff is more than welcoming, and one immediately builds a bond with them, as well as the other families there, with the realization that they are all there for one common goal: the betterment of the health of their children. You instantly learn that they all share more than just meals and time, but also stories of success and words of support.                                             

 Funded solely on donations, the Lubbock house, like all other houses, relies heavily on the support and generosity of its community. Yet they are quick to point out that when asking for help, they are not referring only to money.                     

 In fact, there are numerous ways one can help out and contribute to the house, as well as the families themselves. Money donations are accepted, along with donations of gift cards and any household products, such as food, shampoo, and paper towels. Yet for those who do not have money to spare, but time to give, Jeffries points out that time is just as valued.                            

 “We have people who come to us, saying they have no money, but would like to help out by cooking dinner one night or helping to clean around the house,” Jeffries says. “We even have retired teachers who have come read to our families and have story time.”                                   

 There are the opportunities for van drivers, which entails transporting families from the house to the hospital, decorating committee, helping to prepare the house for upcoming holidays, and gardener, helping plant and maintaining the house landscape. All in all, the staff at the Lubbock house ensures that the reward of helping, in whatever way, is much more than one could ever imagine.                                                                                                                                    

“My reward is truly more than just a paycheck,” says Jeffries. I just had a family that has been here tell me that their baby just got taken off the ventilator. Those are truly huge triumphs,” Jeffries notes.                                                                                                                             

 Today, the Ronald McDonald House of the Southwest continues to expand and reach out through the development of their house, as well as the addition of Care Mobiles, trailers that deliver cost-effective medical, dental, and health education services to underserved children. There are also Family Rooms, safe havens within the actual hospital for the families of those whose children are undergoing some medical treatment.                                                                         

 Much like the love and generosity which surrounds its foundation, the RMHC of the Southwest is continuing to grow and reach hundreds of lives in their mission to “create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well of children and their families.”                                          

“It’s like I tell families, you must learn to accept people’s grace and kindness, but like an ongoing circle, you must then give back that exact same grace and kindness,” adds Jeffries. “As long as we keep that circle going, I think we’ll have done our job.”                                                      

 And just like their motto reads, this house is truly the house that love built.                        

 If you are interested in becoming involved with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest, whether through volunteering or learning more, please contact Dina Jeffries at dina@rmhcsouthwest.com, or call (806)744-8877.

 

All photos by Savannah Nash/Plainsman Press