Winter 2016

www.rmhcincinnati.org | (513) 636-7642

YOU helped save a lifeWhen Macey McVey was 15 weeks pregnant, doctors diagnosed her baby with a condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She was devastated to hear the news that her son would be born missing half of his heart. Macey turned to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to save his life. To get to appointments, Macey had to drive 100 miles, three times a week - until she learned about our House. Being able to finish out her pregnancy at our House provided Macey with the supportive environment she needed to give Bentley the best chance possible.

Macey said, “I always feel safe and cared for when I’m at the House, and it’s so comforting to know that we are

so close to the hospital.”

When Bentley was born, Macey was only able to see him for a short while before

doctors took him away to give him the medical care he needed to survive. Four days later, he underwent surgery on his heart. The surgery was a success and Bentley was able to go home to Lexington, Kentucky a month later.

Things were going well until Macey noticed a change in Bentley’s behavior. Doctors discovered that he had developed a bacterial infection, and his heart was not

functioning as it should. He was sent on an emergency flight back to Cincinnati. Again, Macey moved into our House.

Doctors are treating Bentley’s infection and are preparing for his second heart surgery. Though they will be here for a long time,

Macey is thankful to be back at our House during this difficult journey:

“Ronald McDonald House is incredibly loving and supportive. There are so many other families and volunteers here for us when my own family can’t be. I feel like I have a second family. I

know that if Bentley ever needs anything, we have a home here.”

Thank you for making so many memorable moments possible in 2015!

“For days after his surgery, Austin didn’t want to eat. Then a volunteer brought him some croutons—his favorite! Austin finally ate

something for the first time in days.”

—Christine Paquin

“Brenna was scared the night before major airway surgery, but a volunteer group coaxed her into playing Bingo and eating ice cream. After rounds without winning, Brenna’s anxiety about surgery and frustration with the game became too much. Then, almost every letter and number called was on her card. With a weakened, raspy voice, she yelled, ‘Bingo!’ Two volunteers had been peering at her card, calling her letters and numbers. All I could say to the volunteers was, ‘Thank you for letting Brenna be happy tonight.’”

—Peter Watts

“There are so many simple moments at the House that bring so much joy and comfort like having your own room so your family can

come into town to stay with you or coming down to

dinner and seeing all your friends ready to help you through a rough day.”—Kelly Clemence

“The guest families, staff, and volunteers are truly the most amazing and inspiring people! They give us the strength to fight for our daughter Faith, and most importantly, they make us laugh. I never believed such a difficult journey could bring so much joy. Because of the love and support of our Ronald McDonald House family, and all the fun and smiles that came with it, I can honestly say I wouldn’t trade 2015 for anything!”

—Aimee Webb

Thank you for making so many memorable moments possible in 2015!

“During the week of Halloween, Baylee’s friend texted and said she hated that Baylee would miss trick-or-treating. Baylee was down, too, but when she read the House activity schedule, she was so excited and texted her friend back and said, ‘I don’t care because I get to do more fun things at Ronald McDonald House, and I also want them to find a cure for me.’”

—Matthew Wheeler

“The House has been our refuge and our family. The therapy dogs were great, since we missed our own dogs so much. And sitting and having

coffee in the mornings with volunteers while they

made a mountain of sausage and

pancakes really helped start a long day.”

—Cassie Piggott

“Cohen was very sick and we came to Cincinnati without any other family. I was bombarded with concerns at the hospital. Every few minutes, doctors ordered new tests, and I was exhausted. I walked to the House and just stood in my room; it was the first moment, in what felt like forever, that I had silence, privacy and peace. There were no alarming machines or intrusions from strangers. I could finally breathe, and after a good cry, a quick nap on a real bed, and a few encouraging words from House staff, I was able to go back and face the battle that waited for me at the hospital.”

—Carrie Bramlee

How to help create more wonderful memories in 2016

VOLUNTEER for two four-hour shifts per month to help families at our front desk, tidy our House, or host group volunteers. Or, gather a group together to help serve a meal or help clean, repair or restock our “home away from home.” volunteer@rmhouse.org

ADOPT A FAMILY ($3,000+), or two or three families, to help provide a supportive environment for resting, recharging and gathering the strength needed to continue fighting for their children’s health. tcornejo@rmhouse.org

MAKE A MONTHLY GIFT through a simple, one-time effort made to set up a recurring donation at rmhcincinnati.org that will automatically deduct money from your account and direct it towards helping critically ill children. sdukes@rmhouse.org

BE A HERO OF THE HOUSE by making an annual gift of $25,000 or more to help give families what they need to fight the most important battle of their lives. tcornejo@rmhouse.org

JOIN OUR RED SHOE CREW to mix and mingle with other young professionals, plan fun events, and raise awareness and money to help our families. redshoecrew@rmhouse.org

Our 78 guest families spent the holidays far from home this year. But your compassion and generosity brought holiday cheer, togetherness, great food and gifts so they could still enjoy a magical holiday season. We celebrated at our “Home” for the Holidays party. Parents chose gifts you donated to make sure Santa delivered presents on Christmas Eve. And we even took a trip to the North Pole, thanks to our friends at Delta Air Lines.

Thank you for bringing JOY AND WONDER to critically ill children

You can make a big difference doing what you do bestMany local individuals, church and civic groups, schools and businesses have developed creative ways of helping our families. In 2015, several supporters raised enough money through their outside fundraisers to adopt a family at our House ($3,000+), including a couple of extraordinary teenagers, Katie McElveen and Allen Waltz.

Katie McElveen raised $6,250 by working with art students at Sycamore and Loveland High Schools. Students painted canvases portraying our families’ hopes and dreams, framed them in antique windows, and found local community members to sponsor each window. These 55 unique pieces of art are permanently on display in the new Windows of Hope Gallery at our House. Katie also encouraged Connie and Terry Goins to select our House as the beneficiary of their annual LPT Tasting Dinner, raising an additional $9,305.

Allen Waltz raised $3,154 by getting pledges for every point he scored as the kicker on The Summit Country Day School football team. “One of the most important aspects of football is family,” Allen said. “Giving to Ronald McDonald House helps families stay strong through their tough times.”

Special thanks to GE Aviation, Fifth Third Bank, and P&G who have served the most Taste of Hope meals since our program began in September. This program is also made possible by many generous corporations and foundations, including:

• Anonymous Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation

• The Frank J. and Jacqueline Dawson Kloenne Foundation, Fifth Third Bank and Narley L. Haley, Co-Trustees

• The Thomas J. Emery Memorial

• Ethicon

• The Farmer Family Foundation

• General Mills Foundation

• Terry and Lisa McLaughlin

• The Helen Steiner Rice Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

• Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee

• The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee

Help make the SPIRIT OF GIVING last far beyond the holidaysProvide a Taste of Hope in 2016

As you return to the routine of your daily lives, and leave the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s easy to forget about the importance of giving back. During these early winter months, it’s often slow for our meal program. You can help make sure that, on their way back from the hospital, our critically ill children and their families can step out of the cold and into our dining room where a hot meal awaits them. Visit rmhcincinnati.org/tasteofhope to reserve your meal today.

“When Darius was discharged from the hospital after surgery, I already had a lot to worry about. But I also had to find a hotel and figure out dinner for a child in pain who couldn’t walk very well. Then we received a call from the House. I can’t begin to express the weight that was lifted. Not only did they have a room for us, but dinner was waiting as well. I will never forget that moment because it made an incredibly difficult time so much easier.”

—Traci Smith

Thank You from our EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAmazingly, here we are once again – another new year, and another ideal time to look back on the past year with gratitude and to look forward with hope. As I reflect, one thing I know is this: I am so grateful for this life I’ve been given, and I don’t know how I got so lucky. I have the best job in the world, and I look forward to it each and every day. I have talented, hard-working colleagues, and our House has thousands of kind and generous friends who volunteer and give so much to support our mission. Every meal, every quilt and every room in this amazing House is here because of the love and kindness of others.

Allow me to share with you the story of one of our dedicated volunteers, Margaret “Tuck” Fraser. Tuck was not only a volunteer, but she was a friend of my family’s for over four decades. Tuck was my mom’s best friend, and they worked together for many years in reservations at Delta Air Lines. Tuck was at my mom’s baby shower when she was pregnant with me, and 31 years later, she was at my shower when I was pregnant with my first daughter.

When I began in this dream job 17 years ago, my mom, Tuck and my sister all decided to join our RMH family as well as volunteers. My mom and Tuck worked side by side, cleaning rooms for families and welcoming them to our “home away from home.” Tuck saw first-hand the oasis of respite and hope that our House provides for weary families. She saw what a difference it makes to have love, support and a good night’s sleep when you are fighting life’s toughest battles.

Tuck would eventually have her own tough battle to fight: She was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Throughout her treatment, Tuck had a positive attitude, a grateful spirit and her wire-haired terrier Belle by her side. Tuck had told me that she intended to make a gift to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati in her estate plans, but we never talked about the details.

Tuck passed away in September 2014 at the age of 69, with my mom and her other lifelong friends gathered around her in her final hours. Months later, we received news from her estate advisors about her legacy gifts to ensure the future welfare of our families. Through her IRA and her trust, Tuck left incredible gifts totaling over $1.25 million to our House. It was even more awe-inspiring to learn that our House was one of four charities to which Tuck was so incredibly generous.

What moves me even more is the trust that Tuck placed in our House to use her gifts, which were unrestricted, in the best manner possible. To honor her devotion to serving as many families in need as we can, we have placed her estate gifts in a special fund to help fund an eventual expansion of our House, should we be in the position to serve more families in the future.

As I share this story with you, I am reminded how lucky I was to have known Tuck and to have been her friend. Just as I am grateful to Tuck, I am grateful to each of you who supports our mission. Your gifts come in many forms, and each and every one makes a life-changing difference. You are a vital part of the community that brings comfort and hope to our guest families in such difficult times.

So as we begin the coming year, please know how much your commitment to help others inspires us and how thankful we are for all of the ways in which you make life easier and less stressful for our guest families. We look forward to a continued friendship and partnership with each of you in the new year.

Gratefully,

Jennifer Goodin Executive Director

350 Erkenbrecher AvenueCincinnati, OH 45229

www.rmhcincinnati.org

NONPROFITU.S.POSTAGE

PAIDCincinnati, OHPermit No. 9772

If you receive an extra newsletter or if your name and address are incorrect, please let us know by contacting Shawnie Dukes at (513) 636-2046 or sdukes@rmhouse.org. Thank you.

Thank you for giving families your love and support as they begin a new year!

Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House provides a “home away from home” for families with critically ill children while they receive medical treatment. We surround families with hope and support and bring joy and a sense of normalcy to children as they heal.