Kent’s Newest Painting – Coming to an Auction Near You!

By Kent Burress

Well, actually, Kent (our CEO) is on vacation this week, but I (Jan) am writing this post for him because we wanted to let you in on one of his projects. While on vacation, in addition to driving around in his fun car and getting a February tan, and in addition to playing the piano and working on his deck and in his garden, he has been doing some painting. He is working on a painting for the Bandana Ball auction.

Kent’s newest painting

While the actual Bandana Ball painting may be somewhat smaller than the one pictured here, it will be much like this one, and if you are there, you will have the opportunity to bid on it!

Kent's painting above Beverly's desk

Kent loves to paint – and obviously has a great talent for it! We are excited that his painting in the Bandana Ball auction will help raise much-needed funds to help us continue to provide a comfortable place for families when their children are hospitalized.

So, buy your Bandana Ball tickets today, and get ready to bid! And the next time you see Kent, tell him thanks for sharing his awesome talents!

Jan Gunter

Kent's painting in his office at the Ronald McDonald House

Kent's painting above the second floor conference table

I’m Having Surgery!

Yep, that's where it hurts the very most!

It’s not often you hear that sentence uttered with such glee.  But I’m truly happy to be having surgery on Wednesday morning to “get my foot fixed.”

I’ve had problems with plantar fasciitis in my feet before, and it’s gotten progressively worse in my right foot over the last few months.  None of the treatments lately have helped, so I’m taking the big step (pun intended) of having it surgically taken care of.  I’m tired of being in pain.

Once I’m fully conscious again, I’m supposed to be walking at least 5 minutes out of every hour for the first day.  So it’s supposed to be a quick recovery.

It’s “just” an outpatient procedure, done endoscopically, and I’ll be under conscious sedation.  And it’s being done at a surgery center close to my home.  But that doesn’t mean I’m not nervous about it, and worried about what recovery will really be like.  Heck, if they’re going to be giving me pain meds, it’s not going to be a walk in the park! (again, pun intended)

But I’m thankful that my wonderful husband, Tony, will be there seeing me through this all.  From getting me there at 5:30 am, to waiting while I’m having it done, to getting me home and taking care of me afterwards…he’ll be there for all of it.  And I’ll be very grateful.  And I know how lucky I am to have his loving support as well as that of friends nearby.

When you search for a photo of "happy feet," this is about all you find!

The Ronald McDonald House provides a place for families to stay so they can be close to their children while they go through their procedures and treatments.  Not that I’m as young as those kids, but I can imagine how relieved and comforted they are having their parents nearby when they’re going through something similar.

I’m glad to be a part of helping them feel better and hope I can continue doing so soon without limping around so much to do it!

Ready to Go!!!!

by: Ann Jerome

Well, the time has come for me to test my mettle. I ran my last “easy” run yesterday before the nice long one I will take as part of the Livestrong Austin Half-Marathon this Sunday, February 19^th with 20,000 of my new running buddies. While I always have the children like Nicholas who is 4 and is battling Leukemia, and Raymond who is 17 and battling a very rare cancer of the muscles who stay with us at the Ronald McDonald House in my heart and mind when I run, this year there’s someone else I’m also focused on to make the miles even more personal.  

Linda Morris, my RMHC colleague at the Atlanta RMHC Chapter, is battling Stage 2 breast cancer with once-a-week chemo treatments, surgery soon, and then radiation treatments that will end later this year.  It’s a tough regimen and she is working hard to balance her personal and professional responsibilities – handling them all with poise and grace.

Meanwhile, she is also continuing to keep up her Crossfit workouts going with her trainer and friend Eric in Decatur, Georgia to win this war.  She actually makes me tired telling me about what she’s doing to make sure she remains strong and focused on her overall health.

Linda is a wonderful leader in the world of Ronald McDonald House Charities, and through this battle she remains determined and positive.  So, I wanted to do something different with my fundraising that would inspire me when I’m running the course, make a difference for the children we serve at the Austin (and Atlanta) Ronald McDonald Houses, and  honor Linda’s strength and courage.

 Check out Eric & Linda’s great photo on my fundraising page! http://rmhc-austin.kintera.org/teamronald/annjerome2012

Please consider supporting my efforts – and Linda too – by making a donation to my Team Ronald page. This time around the funds that are so generously donated will benefit the families who rely on the Ronald McDonald Houses in Austin and Atlanta.   

Thank you for keeping up with the happenings at the Austin Ronald McDonald House and Family Rooms. We love knowing you’re paying attention to us and running alongside us supporting the children and families we serve every day of the year! 

And, one final shout out of  thanks to the Team 26 for 26 volunteers who will be all along the route this Sunday making sure the water stops are rolling and the course is safe.  Over 100 RMHC Austin volunteers will be at Water Stop 4 – can’t wait to see them!!!

Re-booting Valentine’s Day

Participate in Generosity Day 2012 and Pass It On

by Jan Gunter

Today is Valentine’s Day, and we are joining Sasha Dichter at the Accumen Fund in rebooting Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day – a day as Sasha said, of “sharing love with everyone, of being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to practice saying ‘Yes.’ Let’s make the day about love, action and human connection–because we can do better than smarmy greeting cards, overpriced roses, and stressed-out couples trying to create romantic meals on the fly.”

Generosity Day

So we’re helping to reboot Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day; a day when we all do something, anything, to be more generous in spirit and action.

Today we can leave big tips, smile at everyone we meet, hold the door open, be generous, and see how it feels to practice saying, “Yes”. Today we can participate in the local Share the Love promotion and donate $1 at McDonald’s to support RMHC familes. Join in the Twitter conversation with #generosityday, and share your ideas and experiments in generosity with us on our Facebook page.

And with that in mind, I am sharing here with you today some wonderful notes of gratitude from our families who, over the course of time, have experienced kindness, generosity, caring and smiles here at the Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms.

• “Words are inadequate to express our gratitude for the services recently extended to our family….Your facilities are awesome and your staff so kind and helpful. We appreciate all that you did for us and for all those who come through your doors.”
  

  Alpha Delta Pi sisters support our families all year long!

• “I do not know what is wrong with my son. But it is people like you who keep me strong. This is my second stay within the last month, yet your attitude of hope and care transmits over to my heart and strength.”
• “Gracias a todos los que hacen posible esta gran bendicion.”
• “Thank you for your kind words and open hearts in a times that is life impacting to us”.

Happy Generosity Day to you – pass it on! How will you say “Yes” to Generosity Day?

The Pinterest Craze

by Jan Gunter

Select one of the following that best describes you and write your answer in the Comments section below:

a. I am addicted to Pinterest.
b. I’ve looked at Pinterest, but haven’t done much with it.
c. I’ve heard of Pinterest, but don’t know what the big deal is.
d. Pinte-What??

Being the social media mavens that we are, we have taken a Ronald McDonald House plunge into the world of Pinterest. Today I decided it’s like visual Twitter. It is growing at a faster pace than any of the other platforms have grown - yes that is stunning!

Please check out our Pinterst page, and let us know what you think. We are posting images from our events, images of our House and Family Rooms, links to family stories and more. Here’s our House and Family Rooms page:

Our RMHC Austin page is part of the RMHC global page, so by looking at our boards, you will run across photos of Ronald McDonald Houses around the world, and families who have found a home away from home in many cities where their children were receiving pediatric medical care.

That’s what’s new over here this week. Well, at least from my perspective!

Remember to post your answer to the question in the Comments section below! We’d love to hear from you.

Superbowl Sunday: There’s a Game?

by Derrick Lesnau

Did anybody happen to catch this past Sunday’s football game?  If not, then you missed a heckuva football game.  That was the only good aspect of the Superbowl though.  It always amazes me how there are so many other aspects to Superbowl Sunday that have nothing to do with actual football.  Like Jan referenced in her most recent post [(Psst.) We have SUPER news], the majority of us share a fascination and interest in all those other aspects like the commercials and halftime shows.  I’ve even heard of superbowl parties that solely focus on the commercials and halftime show.

Except, of course, for the Ronald McDonald House Charities Commercial, this year’s commercials were a big disappointment in my opinion.  Why couldn’t they have learned from a Golden Girl and her candy?  And remaining consistent with the recent trend, the halftime show consisted of some washed-up musician (time to hang it up, Material Girl) looking for their last 15 minutes of fame forced to share the stage with current pop-stars who are pouting because they weren’t the headliner.  And of course, there’s always at least 1 ambitious “musician” (enter MIA) who thinks they can make a name for themselves by doing something outlandish in hopes that the next morning’s water cooler chatter will be about them instead of……wait for it……the actual football game.  It made me realize the focus has become centered on the entire spectacle of Superbowl Weekend instead of the battle between 2 talented teams looking to win it all and claim the right to be called Champions.  I guess with all the hub-bub surrounding the final game of the NFL season, it’s easy to lose focus of the football game itself. 

At times, it can also be easy to lose focus of what’s important here at the Ronald McDonald House.  Whenever appliances break down or we experience technical difficulties with our database or website or whatever else goes wrong throughout the day, it’s easy to focus on these peripheral issues and lose sight of our main purpose:  Providing a supportive and comfortable environment for RMHC guests during their children’s medical care.  Everything else is expensive commercials and wardrobe “malfunctioning” halftime shows.

-Derrick

(Psst.) We have SUPER news

by Jan Gunter

UPDATE: Click here to see the RMHC Super Bowl Ad discussed below.

When it comes to the Super Bowl, I’m a commercial lover. This year we are seeing more of the commercials in advance, and even trailers that are getting us geared up for the commercials. Have you seen The Bark Side? It’s the VW trailer with the dogs barking the theme song of the Imperial March from Star Wars. More than 11 million people have watched it on You Tube, and I (along with a bunch of other people) love it.

But I digress. What I REALLY want you to know is that if you watch before the game between 5:00 and 5:20 CST, you will see an RMHC commercial about a little guy named Anastacio and his fight with cancer. Anastacio’s support system included the staff and volunteers of the Ronald McDonald House . . . and it also includes you! Here’s more about this amazing boy and the commercial you can watch before the big game on Sunday.