The story below is 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.
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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
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.
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.
Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
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.
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.
Courtesy of Ronald McDonald House Charities of SWVA
The dining room offers a cozy space for guests to gather for meals during their stay.
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
Toys, clothes and gifts for the visiting families are donated by local businesses and citizens.
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.
Montana Kimrey, Donor and Community Relations Coordinator says, “You know the people you run into when you’re making breakfast or getting a cup of coffee, they’re going through something similar to you… it’s something you can’t make up anywhere else.”
Emergencies occur every day, and the holidays are no exception. This time of year, the organization hosts families as much as any other.
Families come in all shapes and sizes, and parents are often accompanied by kids of various ages. It can be especially tough on patients’ young siblings to miss out on their usual holiday traditions.
RHMHC staff do everything they can to make the holidays special for everyone there.
“We recognize that you guys are with us, but we want you to have something special,” Boothe says.
In addition to what they do for the house, they also feed families from the Ronald McDonald family room on the 14th floor of Roanoke Memorial Hospital. They served 70 meals from there for Christmas and Thanksgiving last year.
On December 8, RMHC has a tree lighting which doubles as a fundraising and educational opportunity. Community members are invited to donate to illuminate a light on the tree.
They also have caroling and a holiday store where residents can shop.
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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
“We know that families are focused on their child in the hospital, not a shopping list,” says Boothe.
Note it’s a “store” in name only since all items, including toys, clothes and gifts for adults and kids of all ages, are free for everyone staying at the house. Local businesses and citizens donate everything there.
Another misconception is that McDonald’s funds the home. Though McDonald’s is in the name and helps with some fundraising, the majority of the funding comes from private donors in the communities of each house.
McDonald’s helps through volunteer support, a penny per Happy Meal from our area stores, permitting donation boxes in its restaurants, educational resources and the annual Shamrock Shake fundraiser.
As the Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Virginia celebrates its 40th anniversary, the larger Ronald McDonald House Charities organization as a whole celebrates its 50th. At house number 63, Roanoke got on board early, with even more purpose to put this organization on every Roanoker’s radar.
How You Can Help
As part of our 50 Acts of Service for 50 years campaign in celebration of our 50th anniversary, The Roanoker Magazine team donated their time and items for a Taco Tuesday dinner for guests earlier this year.
Montana Kimrey likes to say the three ways to help your Ronald McDonald House are “Time, Talent and Treasure.”
The average hour of volunteer work for a nonprofit would cost $20 if done by a paid employee. So it’s easy to see how any time you give to RMHC (or your other favorite nonprofit) helps to save them on their budget.
That time can be anything from helping prepare for an event like a golf fundraiser to cooking a meal. They feed their tenants a hot meal every night and provide the ingredients for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
And speaking of that treasure, it’s worth noting that Roanoke’s RMH is a fully functioning house with all the usual expenses – and then some.
“We have all the bills you’d have in your own home, plus the expenses of running a business,” Boothe says. “It’s a 40-year-old aging building that gets a lot of use.”
The 25,000-square-foot manor house serves up to 18 families at a time, so it’s easy to imagine why expenses run high. The supersized electric bill averages $2,000 per month.
If now, in this spirit of giving, you’d like to help the people helping families of sick children, you can reach out to Montana Kimrey at 540-857-0770 or mkimrey@rmhouse.net. You can also learn more on their website at rmhc-swva.org.
There are many ways to help, including donating goods and time.
The story above is from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!