Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
SPEAKING OF GIFTS: THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE IN OMAHA
by bill roberts
Giving and generosity stole the spotlight from marketing and measurement as members of the Mid-America Direct Marketing Association enjoyed the annual holiday luncheon on Dec. 2 at Regency Lodge in Omaha.
During the event, MADMA members bought raffle tickets and enjoyed a drawing for items like gift certificates and fruit baskets. They also donated a variety of household items to be used by the Ronald McDonald House in Omaha.
"Everything you use in your house, we use in ours – only a lot more," said Suzanne Rogert, development director of the local Ronald McDonald House, as she told members about the good works being done there.
Ronald McDonald Houses provide a home to out-of-town families who need a place to stay while their child receives medical care. The Omaha House's location, near 38th and Jones, has 20 rooms and a capacity of 60 people.
The house accepts families who live at least 35 miles away from town and allows them to stay up to 15 months at no cost. The whole idea, Rogert said, is to help families in a time of need by relieving them of one source of stress.
"When your child is sick, nothing else matters," she said.
She tugged heartstrings with stories of Joseph, a blind 4-year-old with a feeding disorder, who would only say, "Yep," and a 2-year-old boy who received a cochlear implant enabling him to hear and then responded by clapping his hands over his ears – suddenly he was in a loud world!
About 75 percent of the families at the local house are here for children having transplants, she said, with premature babies in second place. Families have come from 43 states and seven countries.
LOCAL FRIENDS
Rogert praised the generosity of local businesses that donate plumbing, electrical work, lawn services and more to the Ronald McDonald House.
"We have some really great friends in this community who take care of us," she said.
She also told how local families and companies frequently provide meals to house residents. They bring the food, cook it, serve it and clean up afterward. After a day spent next to one's child's hospital bed, she said, it's very welcoming to come "home" to the aroma of a genuine home-cooked meal.
The Omaha house runs on an annual budget of about $700,000, Rogert said, and the cost of lodging each family works out to about $80 a day. If a family insists upon paying, the suggested donation is $7.50 per day.
McDonald's restaurants typically provide about a quarter of the house's operating costs, with the rest coming from donations and fundraisers such as golf tournaments.
Rogert said aluminum tabs from beverage cans, which have value as scrap metal, have been donated to Ronald McDonald Houses for years. Last year about $12,000 came from that source – not bad when you consider it takes about 1,500 tabs to make one pound, which brings in about 50 cents.
In addition to lodging services for families, Omaha's Ronald McDonald House also funds a Care Mobile that provides dental services to children who can't afford them and makes grants to other programs that help children.
Omaha's location is the only Ronald McDonald House in Nebraska. Iowa has houses in Des Moines and Sioux City. There are more than 270 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide.