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Our speaker today, was Elizabeth Dever, Director of the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena.  She is responsible for community outreach, fundraising, guest and family services and the overall adminstration of the House.  She earned her B.A. in Geography from the The George Washington University and completed her M.B.A. from the University of Redlands, Burbank Campus.  She is also a member of the Junior League of Pasadena the Southern California Association of Directors of Volunteer Services and other organizations.  She lives in Pasadena with her husband and two children.

Her talk today was about The Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena which opened im 2004.    There are two houses at this time.  They are both Craftsman style homes.  Their purpose is to provide a “Home Away from Home”  for families that have children receiving treatments for serious or life threatening illnesses.  Children are here in the area to receive treatments, but what happens to the parents during their children’s hospital stay?

Ronald McDonald House offers the parents the opportunity of staying close by at the Ronald McDanald House.  The nominal fee is $25.00 per night.  However, if the family cannot afford this fee, they are not turned away.  If there was not a Ronald McDonald House the parents would have to sleep on chairs at the hospital and eat vendor food.

What are the requirements to stay in the “House” for the  child that is being treated?

The patient must be 21 years of age or under.

The patient must be currently receiving active impatient or outpatient treatments.

The family must live 25 miles away from the Ronald McDonald House.

The average stay is 11 days, but some have been there for 9 months to a year.  The current staff at the “House” is 2 full time, 6 part time and they are open 24 hours a day.   None of the staff is in the medical field.  There are many people that volunteer to assist the staff.

This Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena provides beyond the lodging, two fully-stocked kitchens and pantries for preparing meals, use of beautiful and large backyards for family gatherings, such as, BBQ’s or picnics and many other wonderful events.  There is also the Meals of Love program where volunteer groups prepare a home cooked meal and join in to dine together.  Volunteer groups also come and coordinate special in-house activities that take place.  There is also a Pet Therapy Program, child care resources, Holiday celebrations, and limited transportation assistance.

The facility also features the following:

8 private guest rooms, 2 large kitchen and dining areas, 2 large family rooms and quiet areas, 2 laundry facilities, a community resource library, telecommuting equipment, computers for families with video chat capability, meditation garden, 2 playground areas, rose garden and more.

The Ronald McDonald House is only minutes away from the following medical facilities:

Huntington Hospital

City of Hope

Shriners Hospital for Children — Los Angeles

LAC+USC

UCLA

At this time there are 324 homes globally.   The Pasadena location has housed children and parents from other states and countries.  The people that are there give each other encouragement and support.  The staff is also providing the care and compassion needed at these times of family stress.

These families do not go on vacations…they go camping.  They have good times together at a  camp at Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains…about 4 hours from Pasadena.  Here the families can have a change of scenery, relax together with other familes.  They generally go for three of four days.  The family camps are great for support groups, and mainly just a chance to get away.

How is the Ronald McDonald House supported?  There are membership levels.  Individuals can give money that will help pay for advertising, such as the signs on the side of the buses.

There are groups that supply “Meals of Love”.  Govina supplies coffee to the Ronald McDonald restuarants and some of the coffee also goes to the “House”.  Also there is the  Pull Tabs project which raises alot of money each year.  Pennies with Purpose also has help to raised money, $1000 in 2010 and $500 the following year in 2011.

Other ways that the House makes money is by private donations; a gift from their Wish List;   and many Volunteer Time and Talent.  Also there are highlighted events that take place through each year to help make money for operating expenses.  These events are the SHINE Gala; Walk for Kids; Hits for Hope; and an Estate Sale and the last event of the year,  being a Wine Tasting.

Elizabeth ended her talk by asking if there were any questions?  Hands raised high as many did have good questions.  Bob Harbicht said that he thought that McDonalds Restaurants supported Ronald McDonald’s homes.  Elizabeth said “this is a misconception,  it is not!”  Bob then replied “I have never given as I thought it was fully supported by McDonalds.”  Some one else asked about  the New Year’s Float and Ronald McDonald House.   Elizabeth’s reply was “Well, it did happen one year..but not for a long time”.

Bruce McCallum remarked that during his term of Club President  that there was a volunteer group that supplied Meals of Love for the McDonald House six or eight times and it was much appreciated by the families and the Rotary volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to share in this endeavor.

I feel that we all learned alot in a 30 minute talk from Miss Dever.  Ronald McDonald House has filled the need for parents of children with intense health problems.  The love and comfort from a staff that cares is indeed a “Home Away from Home.”

(Phyllis Corliss)