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This Home Is Where the Hope Is
Ronald McDonald House serves families in need during troubled times
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Business New Haven
9/29/2003
By: Theresa L. Corso
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A yellow Victorian mansion on the corner of George and Dwight streets in New Haven is sometimes described as "the house that love built."
Small wonder. Run almost entirely by 75 volunteers (it has two full-time and two part-time employees), Ronald McDonald House’s mission is "to provide a ‘home away from home’ primarily for the families of children who are being treated at nearby health-care facilities."
Located between Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Hospital of Saint Raphael, Ronald McDonald House (RMH) serves families who need accommodations while their children are being treated at one of nine area medical facilities. These include the Children’s Hospital at Yale-New Haven, YNHH, St. Raphael’s and Bridgeport Hospital.
Most of the 12 guest bedrooms can accommodate three or four people. The sprawling house has 35 rooms in all, including the private and common spaces and includes two fully equipped kitchens, pantry, laundry room, library, playroom, television and computer lounge, sun porch, living room, conference room and offices.
"We want to provide an environment that is supportive, nurturing and comfortable to provide the best for our families," said Michael S. Rohde, RMH’s director of development and marketing.
RMH guests must be referred by hospital staff and are provided accommodations on a first-come, first-served basis. An average stay at RMH is one week, but guests can stay longer. Although the facility is specifically for children seeking medical treatment and their families, adults who are referred by hospital staff are allowed as well if space permits.
Besides being an inexpensive place to stay for families during difficult time, RMH seeks to provides a caring and supportive atmosphere that a local hotel does not give to a worried parent whose child is in need of medical treatment. The families support one another and the volunteers listen and provide support as well.
North Havener Jane Shaw has been a house volunteer at RMH for about a year. In addition to answering phones, checking in guests, confirming guests’ referrals at area hospitals and giving tours of the house, Shaw writes the twice-yearly Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut Newsletter.
"I was attracted to the mission of the house," explains Shaw. "I wanted to be able to help families [that have] a sick child. This place is a refuge."
When Claire DiMartino’s daughter, Denise, was diagnosed with Severe Immunity Deficiency at the age of six, she was treated at both YNHH and Sloan-Kettering in New York. YNNH approached DiMartino and seven other parents of children being treated at the hospital and asked them to assist in contacting the Ronald McDonald House Charity to open a house in Connecticut.
In 1981 the former Blakeslee Mansion at 501 George Street, built in 1837, was purchased. The mansion underwent a $1.3 million restoration and opened in May 1985, becoming the first and only RMH in the state. Today it is one of 149 houses in the country. The total investment in the New Haven facility totals some $2 million to date.
New Haven’s RMH serves families from 125 Connecticut communities, 43 states and 36 countries. 500 families stay yearly at the facility.
RMH is an owner-operated independent, private, non-profit, tax-exempt organization that operates on about $400,000 in annual donations. New Haven’s RMH does not receive regular funding from McDonald’s or the Ronald McDonald House charities. However, the house is eligible to receive grants from the charity.
Besides direct donations for RMH operations, the house organizes fundraisers throughout the year. One fundraiser is the collection of pop tabs from soda cans that are collected and recycled. Proceeds from the sale fund day-to-day operations at RMH.
DiMartino, one of the original founders, is now the facility’s director of special events. "This is a wonderful place to volunteer and spend time," said DiMartino, "we’re always looking for volunteers."
Special event fundraisers take place throughout the year, including "Lights of Love" and "Trees of Hope." "Lights of Love" lets individuals donate $5 per light on the RMH Christmas tree. Donations are made in memory or honor of loved ones.
The "Trees of Hope" event displays decorated Christmas trees and other holiday items donated by local businesses, community organizations and individuals between December 5 and December 15. The trees and decorations are raffled off at the end of the event.
Both of these events involve "Kids Helping Kids," where schoolchildren from around the state create fundraising events to help collect money for the house. This year’s efforts raised about $50,000, according to RMH.
Individuals can also participate in the "Adopt-A-Room" program, allowing them to sponsor a specific room in the house for six or eight years. All rooms are included in the program and sponsorship levels are based on the cost of the room’s furnishings. The donor is recognized with a plaque placed on the door of the sponsored room, a mention in the RMH newsletter, Web page recognition and an invitation to the recognition reception at the facility.
According to Rohde, RMH is one of the top 100 charities in the world. "We exist because of people’s generosity," he says.
Because RMH runs solely on donations, fundraisers and sponsors, it asks for those who stay at the house to contribute $15 per night and room. However, a family will not be turned away if it cannot afford to pay.
Storage space for food is provided. If a family cannot afford food, RMH will supply food for them as well.
The facility’s Web site (www.ronaldmcdonaldhouse-ct.org) and newsletter have a wish list with items the house needs.
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