The Ronald McDonald House Was the Glue We Needed

Do you ever wonder who it is you are supporting when you support Ronald McDonald House Charities? Here is one family’s story, as told by Annie Colvin.

We learned about the Ronald McDonald House from the nurse taking care of me in postpartum.  She was trying to help us find a place to stay while our son was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).  I couldn’t fathom the thought of spending the night an hour and a half away from my baby each night by staying in Luling.

The Colvin Children

We LOVE RMHC! We had heard the name of the place, but never knew what its services were or how they might help people.  We were surprised at how accommodating and friendly everyone was without prying into our personal situation.  It was helpful to us that we had a safe place to stay and that our other child, 3 yrs old then, could also stay with us.  It was very helpful that the RMHC allowed our family and friends to come visit us there, and there were facilities to mimic our home environment.  The meals provided and encouragement from the environment alone was a Godsend to our family. Not only did it save us money, it lifted another burden off our backs during our difficult time.  We probably wouldn’t have eaten much of anything had the House not been there for us because we weren’t worried about taking care of ourselves, but making sure our baby and 3-yr-old daughter were taken care of first.

Blaine was born at 35 weeks, two days after our daughter’s 3^rd birthday.  My water broke, but no reason as to why.  There was no warning. Since he was 5 weeks early, we knew that he may need to be in the hospital with me a little longer than the usual two or three days after a C-section, but that was the extent of it. We had no idea we’d be separated in different hospitals once he was born and he would be sent to the NICU.

And then it all happened very fast.  His lungs did not produce the hormone needed for lubrication and functioning.  He was given this hormone artificially at first. He was on oxygen, had an IV and a feeding tube.

He was then transferred from St.David’s South Austin Medical Center to the NICU at St. David’s Medical Center, several miles away, while I (recovering from a C-section) stayed at the South Austin Hospital.  It was gut wrenching to have my baby at a separate hospital from me.  I was determined to get released the next day, and the nurse on duty was very supportive.  She saw my determination, walking, doing more for myself and recovering quickly.  She recommended the Ronald McDonald House because she had volunteered there years before.  Once my doctor gave the OK to release me, that very day the social worker and the nurse helped us contact the Ronald McDonald House and get everything set up.  I can’t tell you what an answered prayer that was.

Blaine Colvin

Blaine was in the NICU for two weeks and two days.  Once he got off the oxygen (about one week later), his struggle was to gain weight at a steady rate, and eat more volumes.  After he became more consistent, he just had to learn how to drink from a bottle instead of being supported from a feeding tube.  He was not quick to drink from a bottle, but he got it just one day before being discharged.

He is a healthy (never been sick other than allergies or teething since we brought him home) baby boy.  To our knowledge, there are no long-term lasting problems associated with his premature birth.  We are very thankful to God and the angels he put in our pathway to encourage us and provide strength through our difficult time. RMHC is a very important piece of our family now, and we are forever grateful for the kindness of this organization.

The accommodations were very nice (we would’ve stayed in a tent if need be or in the lobby chairs overnight) and helped ease our burdens during our family’s difficult time.  Not only did RMHC help us and our child in the NICU, it was a comfortable, safe place for our first child, 3-year-old Sophie to visit and spend time with us.

The Colvin Family after their Ronald McDonald House and hospital experiences

Thank you all very much, and may God bless all of you that have any part in this organization.

My husband and I are full time teachers at the middle school in Lockhart, Texas.  We are both also in graduate school, and the Ronald McDonald House was beyond helpful for us during our time of need.  We just celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary and I believe that the Ronald McDonald House is the glue we needed to keep it together after Blaine’s early birth.

Would you like to share your good wishes and thoughts with Annie and Mike Colvin? Please share a comment below.

Mother

by Jan Gunter

Yesterday I took my mother to a doctor’s appointment. I took off a few hours work, drove an hour to her house, and we took care of her medical business. We had a good time together, and she shared with me some fresh, organic vegetables that her neighbors had delivered to her house earlier in the morning. Yum!  I spent some time admiring her beautiful gardens, and we talked baseball. (Go Rangers!)

Here’s a picture I took with my mother last December.

It was good mother-daughter time, although brief and focused on a trip to the doctor. I always enjoy spending time with my mother. I’m glad we live close enough to see each other frequently. I’m glad for phone calls, text messages and Facebook updates that keep us connected  – and a shared love of the Texas Rangers. (How about Josh Hamilton?!) We’ll be enjoying a pretty casual Mother’s Day dinner together Saturday night with my siblings, and we hope to be talking about the Rangers’ win over the Angels earlier that day. Life is good.

I just talked with a mom this week whose firstborn is in the NICU. This is not the way she thought her baby’s first months would be – hooked up to monitors and tubes. Not surprisingly, she has spent much of the last few months at the hospital and the Ronald McDonald Family Room there, and also not surprisingly, her mother has been involved every step of the way. That’s the way it often is with mothers and our children. We’re there for our kids when they need us, and as we grow older, our kids are there for us.

Mothers, babies, grandmothers, grown “children”: It’s all part of the cycle. Being a mother is a lifetime proposition, and we who are mothers wouldn’t have it any other way!

We sent out a Mother’s Day email earlier this week noting that mothers at the Ronald McDonald House and Family Rooms will spend this Sunday in the hospital – not in a nice restaurant or on a fun outing – because that’s where their children are. We are here to help mothers stay strong when their children are facing tough medical issues, just as I was there to take my mother to an important appointment yesterday, and just as my mother has been there with me every step of the way. That’s what mothers (and their children) do!

What will you be doing with your mother (or children) on Mother’s Day?

Ronald McDonald House is a Quiet Hero for Families in Need

Guest post by Brittany Highland

Airplane wall in the Ronald McDonald House – thanks to Southwest Airlines

If you have ever had a loved one sick with a serious illness, you know how life is turned upside down. Your ability to work is impeded by worry, and day-to-day necessities like eating and sleeping take the back burner to the nurturing of the one you care about. Having a sick child may be the most devastating scenario of all.

What if there was an organization that cared for families with sick or injured children, and met every one of their needs? What if that organization went the extra mile to provide all kinds of comforts, as a service to suffering families?

That organization exists. It’s in your community and you can be a part of it.

A few weeks ago, Austinot Eric and I had the privilege of touring the Ronald McDonald House of Austin. Although both of us had volunteered at other Ronald McDonald Houses in the past, I had an incomplete picture of how RMHC functions and how much it provides for the community.

Before I met Jan Gunter, the Communications Manager of RMHC – Austin, I knew that the Ronald McDonald House was a place where families could stay while their child was hospitalized. I also (incorrectly) assumed that every House is funded by McDonald’s corporate. That’s where my “knowledge” ended.

Our time with Jan was an eye-opening experience that I’m very grateful for. I share my new understanding with you in hopes that you’ll come to value this incredible organization in our community, and get involved!

How the Ronald McDonald House Works

If you have a child 18 years old or younger who needs to be hospitalized or needs to visit a hospital for treatment, a social worker or nurse can refer you for a stay at the Ronald McDonald House, provided your home is at least 25 miles away from the hospital.

It doesn’t matter what your income level is; everyone is welcomed for a nominal fee of $10/night per family. The average stay is 11 days, but stays can range from two nights to nearly a year.

Most rooms look out on the hospital, so parents can feel close to their children

This is cool enough, but the Ronald McDonald House is far more than a place to sleep. As I talked about before, the sickness of a child can take a toll on the whole family.

The Ronald McDonald House does an incredible job of taking care of every necessity, so that families can focus on being together and getting better.

What does this actually look like?

• Volunteers come daily to prepare, cook and serve food to families
• Laundry room is free to use
• Complimentary fitness room is available on site
• Dell-donated computers are in each of the 30 rooms
• There is a tricked-out game room, with new game systems donated by Microsoft
• Three beautiful rooftop gardens provide a peaceful get-away

Not only are basic needs met, but the Ronald McDonald House goes beyond necessities to provide true comfort and care, as illustrated in this cute video that exhibits the spirit of Austin’s RMHC.

What Makes Austin’s Ronald McDonald House Special

Built in 2007, Austin’s Ronald McDonald House is the first LEED Platinum-certified Ronald McDonald House in the world.

As we toured the building, I was mind-boggled by the lengths the designers traveled to create an environmentally sensitive and healthy environment:

• The building features a unique system that allows rooms to have their own air!
• All rooms have natural light except bathrooms and closets.
• The roof is white to reflect the sun.
• Solar panels power 15 of 30 rooms.
• The building is positioned to intake the most heat in the Winter and the least in the Summer.
• The building is cooled with cold water, with a thermostatic system built specifically for the Ronald McDonald House.
• Flooring and stonework are made partially from recycled materials.

How RMHC Austin Is Funded

I mentioned earlier that I always assumed that the Ronald McDonald House got all of its funding directly from McDonald’s as a corporation. I was wrong. The Ronald McDonald House in Austin is managed right here in Austin and funded locally. There are almost 70 McDonald’s in the Greater Austin Area that are responsible for about 17% of the operating budget of our Austin Ronald McDonald House. The generous local owners of those McDonald’s regularly donate to the RMHC. Plus, donation boxes that Austinites like you contribute to stay local and serve families in our community.

I don’t know about you, but this makes a big difference to me. Because I know that Austin’s Ronald McDonald House relies on local funding, I feel like there’s a place for me to get involved and contribute.

How You Can Get Involved in the Ronald McDonald House of Austin

There are three key ways you can get involved:

1. Make a donation online.
2. Check out the RMHC wishlist on their website.
3. Volunteer!

There is an exciting volunteer opportunity that has just been announced. RMHC is opening a Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. David’s Medical Center in June. They are in serious need of 30 volunteers to work weekly 4-hour shifts to support families at St. David’s. Volunteers must go through orientation and be approved before volunteering, so this is a time-sensitive opportunity. Please visit this page if you are interested in volunteering.

In 2011, more than 1,300 families were served by Austin’s Ronald McDonald House and Family Rooms. I am absolutely behind this Austin non-profit, and I hope you get behind it too! Let’s build up the Austin community by caring for families in their time of need.

Austinot Brittany asks:
How have you been impacted by the Ronald McDonald House?

This post was first published on the Austinot Blog May 7, and Brittany Highland has graciously shared it for our blog now.

A Canadian by birth and a Texan at heart, Brittany Highland adores Austin and everything in it. Editor of Austinot.com, Brittany loves to explore the city and share little-known gems with fellow Austinites and curious visitors. When she’s not adding commas to guest posts, she’s managing her SEO and social media startup, Knektion. Brittany is especially fond of Theodore Roosevelt, Pablo Neruda, Mozart and her bearded dragon.

Enhancing outcomes? … With social networking?

by Jay Drayer, Guest Blogger

In 2005, while as a busy CFO, I became a family caretaker around a serious health challenge in a loved one.  This eye-opening experience unwound over months in ICU and weeks in hospice, followed by the loss of our loved one.

As everything unfolded, it became so apparent that the vast majority of our friends and loved ones were trying not to intrude, limiting their interactions to well-wishes and messages of support, and continually asking, “If there’s anything we can do, will you please let us know?”

We saw it all:  Pervasive downtime and aloneness.  The meals three families brought us the same evening.  The awkwardness in requesting much needed help with errands, child care, lawn care, meals, pet care and the list grew longer every day.

Don’t get me wrong, the first few days were easy.  But as time wore on, it became clear why family caretakers so commonly experience depression.  They work to keep their morale up.  They share recovery updates with painful redundancy.  They juggle many balls in their lives while keeping a smile on their face.  They fight the good fight.  They do all this because that’s what they do.

To me, enabling friends and loved ones to become comfortably and naturally engaged was THE most challenging part of care-taking.  This applied as much in the hospital but much more after we were discharged and sent home.  And when our circumstances ended in a loss, the landscape with most of our friends was so much about bereavement versus what we really craved which was of course, meaningful social engagement.  It was obvious to all of us (in the hospital AND post-discharge) that if we could have enabled our friends and loved ones to move beyond well-wishes and inquiring how they could help … and eventually, condolences … to heal together as a community, this process would have been … well … better.

These are the experiences that led me to create CareFlash.  CareCommunities created by families in CareFlash extend the healing power of recovery updates and well-wishes, leveraging empathy by enabling friends to place themselves in the shoes of family caretakers … versus just sympathy. 

Through a partnership with CareFlash, Ronald McDonald House Charities provides free, easy-to-create CareCommunities that take just minutes for a family to set up, and require no technical skills. CareCommunities empower participants to engage in unobtrusive, non-threatening ways – enabling members to support, strengthen and interact as a community, fostering emotional connections that enhance wellness by nurturing physical and mental engagement

Key features include:

• Private, invitation-only, online CareCommunity
• Blog for sharing updates, well wishes, care and love
• iHelp Calendar for requesting and organizing logistical and social engagement … without putting anyone on the spot
• Health, wellness and spiritual content for educating, alleviating anxiety and helping everyone heal in their own personal way
• A photo gallery to share photos and relive great memories 

Sample Care Calendar

View the brief CareFlash video at www.RMHC-Austin.org and click the convenient link to start your own free CareCommunity today… with the best wishes of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Jay Drayer is a former Chief Financial Officer who is evidence that positive transformation can be driven by tragic events.  After having personally witnessed 9/11 while on his way to a 9 a.m. meeting in downtown New York City, Jay committed to reorient his life to make a difference.  Not long after that, he had an eye-opening experience while serving as a family caretaker ~ around which he conceived CareFlash which he founded in 2006.  He’s active with many causes and loves the ways that volunteering makes him feel.  Jay and his wife Terry live in downtown Austin, TX.

Thanks A Million!

by Brian Zunker and Jan Gunter

Yesterday Dedee Cline drove with her three wonderful children from San Angelo to the Ronald McDonald House in Austin to make a special delivery. (Have you ever driven from San Angelo to Austin? It’s a bit of a drive!) Dedee is a teacher at Lee Middle School in San Angelo, and she had challenged her sister, who teaches at Derby Middle School in Wichita, Kansas, see which school could collect a million pull tabs by April 28 for the Ronald McDonald Houses in Austin and in Wichita.

Both schools reached their goal!!
Yesterday the Clines delivered one million pull tabs to us!

I heard someone say, “I would have hated to count them.” Probably true now, but when I was in middle school, I would have LOVED the challenge of such a project, and I would definitely have wanted to count them! Obviously Ms. Cline and her sister know something about middle schoolers and their competitive nature.

The Cline children came with their mom from San Angelo to deliver one million pull tabs.

Mariah Cline at the Ronald McDonald House

This whole idea started because when Mariah Cline needed to be in an Austin hospital for medical treatment four years ago, the Cline family stayed here at the Ronald McDonald House. For four years they have been wanting to do something big to show their gratitude. Now that’s what I call paying it forward!

So – what do we do with all these pull tabs?? We simply recycle them for the cost of the aluminum. This money helps ensure that families can be near their hospitalized children. You can see more photos of pull tab collections for Ronald McDonald Houses all across the country on our Pinterest site.

One million pull tabs end to end would stretch 16.75 miles. A million pull tabs calculates to about 789.27 pounds. A million of anything is something to celebrate, and we thank you, Lee Middle School, Derby Middle School, Ms. Cline, and your wonderful children for this amazing feat!

This is such a fabulous story of giving back that we wanted to share it with you today. What do you think?

Brian Zunker is a House Manager and is responsible for the great photo and story of the Cline family and their wonderful delivery of pull tabs. Brian enjoys promoting donations and volunteer happenings on his shifts at the Ronald McDonald House.

Nobody’s Perfact

Someone recently referred to me as a perfectionist. Knowing myself from the inside out, I have to say that assessment is pretty far off base. But it got me to thinking about a couple of things; first what on earth is there about me that would cause someone to say such a thing – and secondly, should I perhaps make a more sincere effort at perfection.

About that first thought, I will admit that I do sometimes – admittedly, pretty often –point out something that can be improved or where some effort fell a little bit short of the mark. And just to be clear, I do this to myself much more than to anyone else. I offer those “observations” because I believe we all should move beyond the comfort zone where we are confident and certain, and push just a little bit harder into the unknown. There are few things more satisfying than accomplishing something you didn’t think you could. But that’s not going to happen unless you move outside of your comfort zone – you’ve got to be a little bit fearless. That’s not pushing toward perfection, that’s just doing all you can to be your very best self.

Now, about whether I should try to be more perfect. I will tell you straight up, it’s just not going to happen. Personally, I think that when we make perfection our focus, we lose sight of all the perfect pieces of life that are unfolding around us. And when we do encounter those perfect moments, they very often are not found in the midst of perfection. Think about some of the most perfect moments; the perfect embrace when a returning soldier is reunited with family, the perfect light of a child’s eyes opening as they rouse from surgery’s anesthesia, the perfect sound of a baby’s first cry – those moments are found in the midst of longing, fear, pain and chaos – hardly perfection.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am a big appreciator of perfection, but I believe perfection is a tool, not a goal. Perfection is a light that helps us see the ways we can be better, it illuminates areas where we have fallen short, it helps us chart a better life path- and frankly it’s very good at showing us where we just flat out screwed up. But more importantly the light of perfection is reflected in our successes, our joys, our passions, our loves – in all those moments when we shine.

So back to paragraph two of this post, and that possible personal character imperfection I mentioned – here’s something we can all do to make our imperfect lives a whole lot better. Take a moment, take several moments throughout the day, and notice all that is perfect around you. You may be surprised at what you find.

Kent Burress

Warm fuzzies

By Claire Mathias

Yarn bombs!

Last fall, I wrote about a possible yarn bombing public installation I was going to take part in. Alas, as often happens, the reality of life’s day-to-day demands got in the way. (I have been know to occasionally confuse big dreams with big plans in our heads without actually putting together that plan?)

But now I am finally working on a yarn bombing project, however modest it may be.

The target for my “guerrilla” yarn bombing is Violet Crown Festival in Brentwood Park on May 5. This year’s festival looks to be one of the best (check the web site for a list of the vendors – lots of cool local artisans).

I live in the Crestview/Brentwood neighborhood (while they are two distinct places, we function more as very close neighborhood siblings. It’s a great place to live because there are so many friendly people and neighborhood projects to participate. For example, in the past few years, the Friends of Brentwood Park has led a remarkable effort to plant trees and beautify the park.

This tree by Knitta Please is a bit more than we're ready for.

Seriously, I love my ‘hood and all of these neighborhood warm fuzzies has inspired me to do a little something fun (as well as warm and fuzzy): simple tree yarn bombs, also known as tree sweaters. I put a call to action on FaceBook, and now have some volunteers to help.

Don't you think this tree cozy needs to be about a foot longer?

Now, let’s be realistic.

Our tree sweaters won’t be as elaborate as the project pictured above, but I’m hoping we’ll have at least 4 or 5 trees. The two pictured at right are almost complete, and I have another one started.

You may think I’m a bit crazy, and wonder about the purpose something that isn’t as formal as what we think of Public Art By Actual Artists. Really, the goal is quite simple: to put a smile on people’s faces. The double take when you see the unexpected transformation of something as simple as tree or sign pole will shift your viewpoint just enough to get you to look around at the rest of your surroundings, whether it’s a park, an intersection with decorated stop signs, or even your garden hose (I put a teeny tiny one on our garden hose, and I chuckle everytime I see it).

I think it's safe to say that a few tree bombs will put a smile on Ronald's face!

Another great thing about this project is that after keeping the bombs at the park for a little while, I am hoping to reuse some of them here at the Ronald McDonald House. As part of our mission to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for our guests, it seems to me that this would be a perfect fit. I’m just hoping Kent agrees with me! 

After all, I’m sure Ronald will be cool with it.

ps If you have any knitting or crochet swatches you don’t need, let me know at cmathias@rmhc-austin.org!