In February 2009, the Sugar Land Charity Committee proudly presented its first contribution to the new Texas facilities charity, Ronald McDonald House (RMH). The donation of $2,500 was raised in 2008 by YCA employees through a series of internal events.
Leslie Bourne, Executive Director of RMH, gladly accepted the check with the words “Thank you for your continued support of the House that Love Built!”
About Ronald McDonald House
The local organization is located at 1707 Holcombe Blvd in Houston. It is a three story building with 50 bedrooms. Each year, thousands of children are treated in Houston for serious illness.
“The house really feels like home,” said Ernie Guerrero, Sugar Land Charity Chairman, who visited the house. “When you walk in there an atmosphere of warmth and welcome that immediately puts you at ease.”
The three-story brick atrium building includes an eight-station kitchen and a special needs kitchen, a dining room, a laundry room, an outside play area, several playrooms, and a one-room school that is part of Houston Independent School District. In an average year, more than 16,000 nights of lodging are provided to approximately 700 different families who have traveled from all over the world to find a cure.
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Ernie visited the RMH and met with families and children that live in the house.
“It was amazing to see a young girl diligently working on a lesson in the classroom despite undergoing heart surgery two weeks ago,” he said. “Thanks to our donations we could help a young man from Canada to stay at RMH due to an invasive surgery done on his stomach.”
Depending on the type of surgery, families may stay from 45-100 days at a time. At the end of their stay, they are required to check out (leave the premises) for a week in order to give other families a place to stay.
Comments from residents of RMH:
“I have no idea what I would have done without you (RMH) there during our eleven months in the hospital. The House was such a comfortable place to go to each day, especially the stressful days. I’m so thankful for the overnight rooms in the hospital. It was a little less stressful to stay down the hall from our son. We will forever be thankful for the Ronald McDonald House during the most difficult time of our lives.” --Mrs. Johnson, Austin, TX
“I would like to say few words about our ‘home away from home’, The Ronald McDonald House of Houston. It was a great sanctuary for our children and as well for the grown ups. We have experienced the incredible bond of friendship and togetherness among families that are dealing with the dreadful diseases. The staff members and volunteers of the house were so tuned to the needs of individual families that the ‘home away from home’ was a sheer delight for us even going through such a thorny path. I do not know any other place that could provide such a solace for the struggling hearts.” --Anjan Sen
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