RMHC Junior Board Members Help Families

Every year, an awesome group of juniors and seniors from area high schools serve on the RMHC Junior Board.  Here’s a couple of students from this year’s board, Amber Gadsden and JaRonna Singleton from North Charleston High School. They raised $90 and donated 5 packs of toilet paper along with their check.  It’s always great to see young people stepping up to the plate!  Thank you to Amber, JaRonna, and all the youth who help the families of the Ronald McDonald House of Charleston!

Just Like The Weather, Our Online Auction is Hot!

Our online auction is the place to be right now!  Lots of great things to do in and around Charleston during the spring, summer, and beyond!  And plenty of great services and awesome fashions to keep you feeling and looking cool.

Check it out!

 

 

Our Biggest Auction Ever Opens Sunday!

Here’s your chance to get all kinds of great deals while helping to support families of seriously ill children. Want the fun of a gala but not the uncomfortable shoes?  Put up your feet, pop a bowl of popcorn, and attend our big party online!

The 2012 No Show Ball is an online auction that opens this Sunday, April 1, at 8:00 a.m. You won’t believe all the fantastic items that have been donated by area businesses.

The auction will raise funds for Operation Imagine, our partnership with Haute Design to update our guest rooms and make them even more comfortable for our families.  We are thrilled by the new updates that the team is working on, but we need your help to make it possible!

We’re still adding items every day, and we think you’ll be delighted to find there is something for everyone.  Check out…
Tons of local restaurants and gourmet food items
Enough tourism to plan a jam-packed family vacation or a weekend for locals, plus your choice of hotel stays
Clothing and accessories for men and women
Golf across the Lowcountry, plus two golf lessons, and the chance to attend the US Open in San Francisco
Art and decor for your home, including pieces of Charleston history
The perfect gift for that next baby shower, wedding, birthday, or anniversary
Unique experiences like outdoor sports instruction, hot air balloon rides, and even a 4 man hunting trip in Argentina
Services of all kinds, including photography, dry cleaning, tire rotation, spa treatments, gym and yoga classes, and more

Head over to register early, and you won’t miss a minute of the action.  Stay tuned, too, because we’ve got some incredible surprises in store!

The Best Cure of All

Volunteering Volunteers!

A group of University to Tennessee students from Campus Crusaders for Christ came to the House during their Spring Break last week and did a fantastic job with our heavy duty chores.  They cleaned gutters in our driveway, defrosted freezers, watered flowers, moved furniture, cleaned and stocked our cabinets, and more! Thanks to all the students who were such a great help!

 

Welcome to Our New Development Director Plus Three Upcoming Events!

Hear One Volunteer’s Amazing Story

Have your tissues handy as you listen to this volunteer from Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House. Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers!

2012 KidsFair Was A Ball!

We always have so much fun as exhibitors at the annual JCC KidsFair, and this year was no different!

In the past, we have done coloring activities and pop tab recycling activities.  This year we did a giant See and Find and invited all the passing guests to play our own version of “I Spy.”  We were amazed at how great the kids who visited our booth were.

 

We had such great volunteers working on putting this display together that it was done in just a couple of visits to the house. We also had great volunteers the day of the event. Maureen, Katie, Walt, Meredith, and Chloe helped kids play our game all day!

McDonald’s was a sponsor, so we got to see some friends in their booth and we had a special guest stop by ours!

      

Here’s Carol and Beth from the KidsFair team.  Thanks to all the sponsors, JCC organizers and other exhibitors for a great KidsFair!

Mother’s Nursing Lounge Is Now Open at RMH

MUSC is an acknowledged leader in treating premature babies. One third of our families are caring for a patient in the Neonatal ICU. The need for the Mother’s Nursing Room has been great as families have had to carry our breastpump to their rooms for privacy. This has caused waiting and stress for moms who need to pump six to eight times a day, around the clock.

We were determined to provide a sanctuary where moms could relax while pumping and conveniently clean up and store their milk in the exclusive freezers.  What RMHC does is provide a “home away from home”, and for a NICU mom providing enough quality breast milk for her newborn is one of the only things she alone can do for her critically ill baby.

In a word, our Mother’s Nursing Room will add dignity to what should be a wonderful bonding experience between new mom and baby. By providing a soothing refuge our Mother’s Nursing Room just might add quality and quantity to a little premature baby’s breakfast.

Here is our room when it was first finished to be a snack room during our expansion, with beautiful wood floors and a lovely window wall.

Check out the room’s new purpose, complete with beautiful curtains from Haute Design, a wall of fridges and freezers for breastmilk, a sink for cleaning up, pumps donated by Medela, and soft light and chairs for relaxing.

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We are actively seeking a named sponsor for this room, see Barbara Bond if you are interested.

Trudy’s School of Dance Does It Again!

Last year, Trudy’s School of Dance on James Island started a new tradition:  The Catch the Spirit holiday show to raise money for the families of the Ronald McDonald House.  Each class put together a great number for a holiday song and they invited family and friends to enjoy a relaxed, fun evening.  The school was packed to the gills, and the students were proud to deliver a check to the Ronald McDonald House for an impressive $500.

This year, Trudy’s topped themselves when they moved the show from their studio to St. James Episcopal church, where it wasstill standing room only.  The event was marvelous, with each class showing their talent and having a great time.  And with a silent auction in the lobby, the school raised $2,350 for the Ronald McDonald House this year!

Here’s the Post and Courier article by Stephanie Harvin with photos by Grace Beahm and the video from the Trudy’s YouTube page.

And here are the school staff and students with their big check for the families of our House:

Photo by Grace Beahm

Trudy’s School of Dance has proven that you can raise important funds for people who need them while doing what you love.  Thank you to everyone at Trudy’s, from everyone at the Ronald McDonald House!