A Heart of Gold

Jan Arrick has been a volunteer with the Ronald McDonald House for over a decade. Below is an account of how she got involved with the House. Jan’s warm heart for the families at the Ronald McDonald House is a true blessing to our guests.

Jan Arrick, RMHC Volunteer

“Many years ago a dear friend of mine asked if I would be interested in volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, then located in a beautifully renovated apartment building on 18th St. At the time my husband and I were busy raising our four daughters, and with their crazy schedules, Jerry’s working and officiating basketball games, and me trying to keep up with running the house, I declined.”

“Now, fast-forward a few years and see our girls somewhat older and more self-sufficient, Jerry ‘retired’ (he was actually disabled) and I decided to see what I could do to help at the Ronald McDonald House. So I began volunteering one evening a month. Soon after that the “new” House was built and I began working there along with my eldest grandson, Ryan once a week. Before long Ryan graduated high school and joined the Marines, so I recruited Jerry. Jerry and I worked once a week and fell in love with the people we worked with, and the families that we served.”

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House, visit rmhc-centralohio.org/volunteer.php.

Finding the Good in Each Day

The families that stay at RMHC of Central Ohio share the most incredible stories with our volunteers, donors, and staff. Some of these stories have the potential to bring you to your knees and give you a reality check, while showing the incredible resilience and grace of our families. It helps keep everything in perspective.

On Monday, I had the opportunity to sit in with The Columbus Dispatch while they interviewed a family whose daughter is receiving treatment at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and are also guests here at the Columbus Ronald McDonald House. Their daughter has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). This disease takes away the ability to eat, swallow, walk, or breathe. It is the number one genetic cause of death for infants.
The parents had a very candid conversation about their daughter’s diagnosis, and shared some very heartbreaking statistics during the interview, such as 90% of children with SMA don’t live to their second birthday. This family handled their daughter’s diagnosis with such grace and optimism, though. During their interview, they said, “we live in the present with our daughter and know that every day is a gift. We have high hopes for her and hope the treatment she is currently undergoing will help future children with SMA and we hope one day there will be a cure.” During their interview, they laughed and smiled so much with their sweet baby girl, which was very endearing to watch.
I have a tendency to focus on the past and not embrace my present blessings. Hearing this family say they live in the present made me realize just how important it is to be grateful for our present situation. This family can be a model for others to follow—they focus on what they can do for their family, and in this life, family is the most important thing. Although life has the potential to be bleak, we can be thankful for the small things in our lives—whether that is a smile from your child, a phone call from a loved one after a hard day, or a warm chocolate chip cookie—these little things can lift our spirits and we have the ability to determine our attitude every day. I am going to follow this family’s example and find the good in each day and be thankful for my amazing family, and that’s what RMHC does for our families—allows them to focus on their child’s health and their family, and remember that each day is a gift.

By Mackenzie Schuler

These are a Few of Our Favorite Things

In addition to housing over 4,000 families per year, occupying more than 135,000 square feet on 5 acres of land and a green space for families with a splash pad, playground and healing garden, following are some of our staff, volunteers and families favorite things at the Ronald McDonald House:

1. Talking to Families
The families are truly the heart of the House. They come from all over
the world and all have a different story to tell. The staff, volunteers
and guests all become one big family, all sharing experiences and
strength.

2. Food
Anyone that spends time at the Ronald McDonald House knows that the
highlight of the day is finding out what we are having for lunch/dinner.
Much conversation surrounds who is serving the food, what time is the
meal and most importantly, what is for dessert. Baked goods and to-go
snacks are plentiful.

3. The Blue Jackets floor
After touring all three floors of the Ronald McDonald House, one can’t
imagine there is more to see, but wait, the Blue Jackets area awaits in
the basement of the House. The Blue Jackets floor is complete with a
family room with video games, a pool table and a big screen TV as well
as two family laundries, a 2nd TV room and a playroom to entertain the
children while waiting for clothes to wash and dry.

4. My co-workers
The people who work and volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House all
have a common thread-they are compassionate, they want to make
world a better place and they are so dedicated to the mission. As a
result, the staff and volunteers become a group of close-knit friends.

5. Resiliency of the families; keeps everything in perspective
Families are thrown into a foreign world with complex medical terms
and long stays away from home, many times apart from loved ones.
Despite the adversity, the families remain gracious, optimistic and
dedicated to the healing of their children. They serve as role models to
all of us and we have the utmost respect for their tenacity.

6. Having spaces that allow families to escape
The Ronald McDonald House has many spaces to which families can
escape the beeping of monitors at the hospital and the solitude of
their guestrooms. Some of these rooms include a meditation room,
spa where free haircuts and manicures are available, library, music
room, arts and crafts room and a workout room.

7. The brownies
Brownies are important to healing as are all baked goods. Brownies
are especially popular with the staff and volunteers. I won’t mention
names, but some are very particular about the gooeyness of the
brownies. Many baking groups come to the Ronald McDonald House
to make goodies for our families. Staff and volunteers taste test the
baked goods for quality control. 

8. Number of people from the community that come in to help
I like to say that it takes a village to run the Ronald McDonald House.
We are so fortunate to live in such a giving community with
philanthropic companies and individuals who give back through
making meals, volunteering, sponsoring events, naming opportunities
as well as contributing monetarily.

9. McDonald’s coffee
One of the clear benefits of working, volunteering or staying at the
Ronald McDonald House is McDonald’s coffee. Who doesn’t like
McDonald’s coffee?? The coffee is a must-have for our folks who are
working overnight to make sure our families have what they need in
the wee hours of the night.

10. The rooftop patio
The rooftop patio is one of my personal favorites. You can look out at
the whole RMH campus and take in a few rays of sunshine at the
same time. The rooftop patio is a great place to read a book, catch up
on e-mail (yes we have wi-fi on the rooftop) and to host a small event.

11. The treehouse
The treehouse is one of our newest and most unique spots in the
Ronald McDonald House. Lucky for us, the NHL chose the RMH
stairwell to showcase the legacy they have left in Columbus, home of
the 2015 All-Star Game. The treehouse provides an interactive space
where kids can get exercise without leaving the building. Children can
play hockey, plinko and crawl through a tube to the penalty box.

12. The backyard
You can’t believe our backyard until you see it for yourself. Three
giant cement hearts make up a large part of the space. Within these
hearts are a playground, healing garden and a splash pad.
Throughout the grass you will see ants, logs, mushroom tables and
chairs as well playhouses where children can climb and play. This
playspace is the backyard to both the main RMH building but also
the 5 long-term stay houses for large families or guests that will be
staying for a year or more.

13. The people-all encompassing-volunteers, staff and all the people in the
world that stay at the Ronald McDonald House
Because we have a small staff, we rely heavily on our Housewarming
Volunteers and Kitchen Coordinators who all so generously give
their time. We have over 400 volunteers who work at the Ronald
McDonald House and another 1,000 that work events that benefit
RMH. These individuals are the most caring, giving, loving, hard-
working people that you have ever met in your life. Without them,
we couldn’t run the Ronald McDonald House. They are the glue that
keeps the House together. They keep smiles on the families’ faces
and make everyone’s day a whole lot better.

14. BBQ Pulled Pork
A rare but much loved treat at the Ronald McDonald House. I see
some happy campers when they smell the BBQ pulled pork cooking in
our new commercial kitchen.

15. The kids
Last but most certainly not least, the kids. They pull at our
heartstrings daily. Their innocence, their resiliency, their ability to
smile and laugh despite their medical condition is beyond words.
They are the reason we volunteer, fundraise, work all night long,
advocate and put our heart and souls into making sure that their
families can be close to them while they are healing.

By Darla Stover