The story below is a preview from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
As Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia celebrates 40 years, it continues to offer a lifeline of comfort and support to families far from home during their most challenging times.
Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
Perry Como crooned, “There’s no place like home for the holidays.” However, in addition to Roanoke Valley residents, this time of year also brings out-of-towners, whether adult children returning to their childhood homes with their own families in tow or tourists here to see what holidays in the Valley have to offer.
But as families across the Roanoke Valley celebrate, all should remember that for some Star City visitors, the primary attractions aren’t outdoor recreation, Illuminights or the gorgeous lobby at Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center.
For some, it’s our hospital system.
Luckily, the Roanoker isn’t the only community fixture hitting a significant anniversary this year. On May 17, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia celebrated its 40th anniversary with the 40 Years of Love Birthday Bash — Dinner on the Diamond at Salem Red Sox Field.
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Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia celebrated its 40th anniversary in May with the 40 Years of Love Birthday Bash — Dinner on the Diamond at Salem Red Sox Field.
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Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
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Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
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Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
At that fundraiser, guests enjoyed a high-end dinner right on the baseball field, along with a silent auction, fireworks and some touching stories from some of the many families that RMHC SWVA has served over its four decades.
Originally the brainchild of Dr. Audra Evans, the first Roanoke McDonald House was formed in Philadelphia with the help of the Philadelphia Eagles and McDonald’s, who got on board as a partner early.
Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill and his wife, Fran, had a daughter with leukemia and worked with Evans on a solution to help other parents in their position who might have fewer resources.
While Ronald McDonald House Charities has a lot of name recognition, not everyone understands what they do or how.
Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
In fact, though they’re located on Jefferson Street, in the Crystal Spring neighborhood, a short walk from area landmarks like Crystal Spring Grocery and The River and Rail Restaurant, many locals are unaware that Roanoke has a Ronald McDonald House.
That lack of recognition is partly a natural consequence of its mission. Unlike most charities and nonprofits in the community, RMHC serves people who live outside of it — 25 miles or more from downtown Roanoke, within a 200-mile radius, to be exact, though people sometimes come from much further.
Specifically, RMHC’s mission is to keep these families close to their sick children while they’re being treated at Carilion.
Executive Director Shannon Boothe has been part of RMHC for over half its existence. Twenty-six years ago, Boothe began as the overnight house manager upon graduating college.
She wanted to learn more about the organization but didn’t expect it to be so long-term. “I loved it so much that I continued to stay and never left,” she says.
Most families that the RMHC SWVA aids also have unexpected stays prompted by a traumatic event — a sudden injury or abrupt sickness.
It’s every parent’s nightmare.
Your child is struck by a car. The ambulance arrives, and you jump in for the long ride to a hospital far from home, thinking of nothing but what will happen next.
It’s not until your kid is admitted that you realize you have nothing but the clothes on your back, maybe pajamas without even a wallet. Now what?
RMHC is there to “catch them when they fall,” as a former tenant from Germany memorably wrote.
When her sister was injured in a biking accident in the woods of the Blue Ridge, they were rushed to Carilion Roanoke Memorial and RMHC was there to provide them with not only housing but everything.
RMHC’s motto is “more than a house,” and it couldn’t be truer.
Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
The dining room offers a cozy space for guests to gather for meals during their stay.
In addition to providing housing, food and transportation, RMHC handles unexpected and forgotten needs. That mom or dad who jumped in an ambulance didn’t bring a toothbrush.
RMHC takes care of them so they can care for their sick child.
Perhaps most distinctively, RMHC provides a community of people you can’t find anywhere else.
Want to learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia, including ways you can help support their important work? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!
The story above is a preview from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!