The Pickaway County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the issuance of a grant in the total amount of $1,500 to support the Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio. This grant is being made in conjunction with the unrestricted fund of PCCF, the Yamarick Family Fund and the Chris Gary Memorial Fund.
Ronald McDonald House provides nights of rest for families of seriously-ill children. In 2017 the Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio provided service to 11 families from Pickaway County who stayed 138 nights between January and November 30, 2017. Providing this service allows families to spend more time with their ill child and alleviating the stress of having to pay to stay by knowing that there is financial assistance so that they can focus on successful recovery of their child.
Families are asked to contribute $20 per night but no family is turned away if that have the inability to pay due to financial troubles. The actual cost for a room per night is $100. The average collected from families in 2017 was $6.38 per night, and the average donation from Pickaway County was $2.24. The Helping Hands program helps close that gap between what families donate to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, and what it actually costs from a temporarily restricted fund. This allows families to not worry about paying for their stay since there is a designated fund to support their stay and have them focus on their child.
“The average distance for families to travel from Pickaway County to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital is approximately one hour each way. Early mornings and long days in a hospital are tiring and stressful on a family with a seriously-ill child, adding long travel time increases this stress. For these families, staying at the Ronald McDonald House while their child is receiving treatment is a necessity. Family presence during health care procedures decreases anxiety for the child and the parents. At the Ronald McDonald House families have the ability to be close to their child in a relaxed setting allowing them to focus on what is important- the successful recovery of their seriously-ill child. The Helping Hands Program provides warm meals for our families, comfortable bedrooms, support system for families to lean on, and a sense of hope during their difficult time,” says Andrea Biada, Major Gift Officer.
Nearly 90% of the funding for the Ronald McDonald House comes from the generosity of the community. That gives the organization the ability to serve 4,500 families per year in there 137 guest rooms. And families will not have to worry about commuting back and forth to the hospital, paying to stay in a hotel, or sleeping in their cars.