INTRODUCTION:
If you feel that you are in this world to give and to serve, then every day is a dream come true. A recent trip to the Savannah Ronald McDonald House brought this message home for me. There is sickness and sadness and it is so heartbreaking to see it affect these innocent children. But there is also so much warmth, love and generosity and that is what the Savannah Ronald McDonald House is about.
Click Here to See More Pictures of the Decorated Ronald McDonald House
Our new relationship with the Savannah Ronald McDonald House is one of the most wonderful side benefits of our upcoming Miracle on Bay Street party and our new Christmas decorating service. The Ronald McDonald House Charities began about 40 years ago when Philadelphia Eagle’s tight end Fred Hill gathered the support needed to start the first Ronald McDonald House after his 3-year old daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia. There are now close to 300 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide. Each one operates as an independent 501(c)(3) community organization. That means that every community that is fortunate enough to have one of these remarkable places has the opportunity and the responsibility to support and maintain it.
The Ronald McDonald House is a place where families with sick children can live while their child is getting treatment at area hospitals.
From the Savannah Ronald McDonald House Mission Page:
The House provides a warm, home-like atmosphere where families can sleep, eat, watch TV or just relax and most importantly spend time with each other and with other families in similar situations. Each family stays in a private bedroom and is asked to make a donation of $10.00 per night (the donation rate is only about 21%). It is purely voluntary and no one is ever turned away if they are unable to make a donation. Since the House first opened its doors in 1987, over 8,700 families have been served. The house currently serves approximately 250 families each year. Although the average length of stay runs 16 days, some families stay much longer.
I feel so fortunate to have learned how this incredible organization runs and hope that everyone who reads this will do something to help support this important Savannah charity.
10 Things We Learned From Decorating the Savannah Ronald McDonald House
1. You can help just by donating soda can tabs
13 year old Ansley Proctor of Woodburne, GA raised $1,200 for the Jacksonville Ronald McDonald house just by collecting soda can tabs! See the full story here.
2. The Savannah Ronald McDonald House serves about 250 families every year
3. No one is ever turned away from the Savannah Ronald McDonald House because they can’t afford it
4. Each family stays in a private bedroom and is asked to make a donation of $10.00 per night
About 80% of the people who stay at the Savannah Ronald McDonald House cannot afford this payment.
5. Your donations make a huge difference
Thousands of families are turned away from the Savannah Ronald McDonald House because there aren’t enough rooms (2,192 according to their website)
6. There are TONS of ways to help
Everything from light bulbs and dixie cups to meals and your time make a dramatic difference in the lives of people with sick children. Here are just a few ways to help
- Contribute something from the Ronald McDonald Wish List
- This Amazon List makes it really easy to donate
- Contribute a meal
- Volunteer your time
7. Even though McDonalds helps generously to support the Ronald McDonald House, it is nowhere near enough to meet the needs and opportunity to help care for families in our area.
8. The Savannah Ronald McDonald House wants to help local businesses connect to one another
If you are a part of a business that supports the Ronald McDonald House, the administrators will go out of their way to help you connect to partner businesses. The Ronald McDonald House is a family in many ways. When businesses support the House, they help them make connections with other businesses that might be looking for their services.
9. The House runs at full capacity all year long, and has an average waitlist of 16 families every day!
There are plans to make a future capital campaign to expand the facility. You can help!
10. Really great Christmas Decor makes people smile
Had to put in at least one plug for the awesome display our team put together. It really did turn out awesome and put smiles on little faces.
Interested in learning more about TideWater’s Christmas Decorating Service?
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Related Articles:
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Some of our Favorite Pictures from Decorating the Savannah Ronald McDonald House
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7 Reasons to Let Someone Else Do Your Christmas Decorating
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12 of Our Favorite Christmas Displays
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3 Things That Make a Christmas Display Memorable
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