Ronald McDonald House Charities® Piedmont Triad (RMHCPT) is 40 and fabulous! This year will mark the organization’s 40th year of providing a “home away from home” for families to rest, eat and find support as they cope with their children’s medical needs. In celebration, RMHCPT is introducing an exciting new event that will help to serve countless families this year – and that promises to become the most fashionable annual fundraiser in town!
For parents with a child who is facing a serious illness or medical condition, the unpredictable, and often long, treatment journey is the most difficult time of their lives. The cares of daily life seem to stand still while what matters the most is being by their child’s side. Ronald McDonald House® is here for those families. Our House gives families a “home away from home” close to the hospital complete with meals, support and anything else they need – so they can focus on caring for their child.
Ronald McDonald House Charities Piedmont Triad was created as a place for families to receive the physical and emotional support they needed to care for sick children – without the high cost of hotel rooms. It is accessible to families 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with staff available onsite 24/7. Families are asked to pay just $10 per night of their stay, however, no one is turned away due to inability to pay. The Family Support Services program was established to address the non-medical needs of guest families and help them cope with the challenges related to caring for a sick child both in the hospital and after the child returns home. Activities such as Pet Therapy and Sibling Support address emotional needs, while BINGO night and the Petite Boutique foster connection with staff, other families and the community and are a vehicle for providing needed supplies such as clothing and diapers to new parents.
Since opening in 1984, RMHCPT’s footprint has expanded from 10 to 36 bedrooms, including a long-term stay area, with the delightful additions of a fully accessible and inclusive playground and Community Meditation Garden. But, perhaps the most exciting development is that the house isn’t the only address. Three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms provide a place of respite and rejuvenation for families with children in the hospital. Family Rooms are quiet spaces for families to forget they’re in a hospital; places to rest, regroup and refuel just steps away from their child’s bedside. Each room has comfortable seating areas, kitchens stocked with donated snacks and meals, and computers with Internet access. Family Rooms are found in Brenner Children’s Hospital, Forsyth Medical Center and Cone Health.
Eight Hospitality Carts serve as extensions of the Family Rooms to meet families of children seeking medical care where they are in the hospital or partner medical facility, offering a variety of snacks, beverages, activities and comfort items free of charge. Hospitality Carts operate inside hospitals and clinics in the Piedmont Triad, removing barriers to service and bringing the caring touch of our house to all families of pediatric patients.
Helping others is always in style, and RMHCPT is bringing the Triad an event that’s an irresistible blend of fashion and compassion. At the first-ever Wine Women & Shoes event on May 9th, you’ll have the opportunity to get glamorous with your girlfriends, enjoying wine tastings from top winemakers, shopping a boutique marketplace, taking in a fashion show by Dillard’s and bidding on incredible auction items – all for a good cause. A charming “Shoe Crew” will be your ambassadors for the evening, working the room and entertaining guests. Be sure to wear your most stylish heels – one fashion-forward guest will be crowned “Best in Shoe” and everyone walks away with a chic swag bag.
Tickets will be on sale February 13th for “Galantine’s Day.” General admission tickets are $125 and limited VIP tickets are $175 with all proceeds benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities Piedmont Triad. Be there and be fabulous!
For more information about Ronald McDonald House and their programs, visit RMHCPT.org. To learn more and reserve your ticket for Wine Women & Shoes, visit winewomenandshoes.com/rmhcpt.
