Easing the burden on families with critically ill children

Fifty-one years ago, the McDonald’s Corporation loaned its name to a project designed to ease the burden on families with critically ill children in the hospital away from home. It’s known as the Ronald McDonald House (RMH), and on Oct. 28, the ribbon was cut on the first RMH in northwest Louisiana.

The three-story sanctuary for families is situated on the campus of Willis Knighton South, located on Susan Drive in Shreveport. Eric Mangham, board chair of Ronald McDonald House Arkansas & North Louisiana, said, “We have been looking forward to this day for a long time now.”

Janell Mason, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Arkansas & North Louisiana, said, “Since our first visit to Shreveport four years ago, the vision of building a Ronald McDonald House here has inspired an incredible wave of support and enthusiasm.”

That enthusiasm was demonstrated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony when Tony Gilley, a local McDonald’s owner-operator and president of Gilley Enterprises, surprised the gathering with a $1 million donation. “On behalf of my family and our 2,500 McDonald’s/Gilley Enterprises employees, we are proud to make this donation to help further the incredible mission of the Ronald McDonald House,” he said.

The local fundraising effort began two years ago, and Mason described the process as a remarkable success. “You know, you don’t raise $12 million overnight. When I came here, I didn’t know anybody except Roy Griggs [from McDonald’s] and the hospital [Willis Knighton].

“Everybody’s heard of the Ronald McDonald House, but it’s one of the clubs you don’t want to be in, because it means you have a critically ill child. Building a new house is fabulous. But building the first house in a community is just a different feeling. To know that it’s the first is so exciting. And the care and comfort the families will have there is just tremendous.”

All the services at the new RMH are free, Mason said, “Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers and donors in the community. We love to provide normal experiences for our families. Not every family is in an emotional state to participate. First, they come in and they’ve just received the worst news, a critical diagnosis for their child, so they come in and we take them to their rooms, and they just kind of hibernate. But, before we know it, they are making friends in the dining room.”

One of those dedicated volunteers is Bill Zeller, a retired Army colonel. “It’s a charity which is dear to my heart,” he said. “I do this because I love the organization. This place is going to be there forever, and it’s going to be there for military and their families when there is no other place to go. They can stay there for free. Everything is free in this place. And the facility is just sumptuous.”

The Shreveport house opened on a limited basis on Nov. 3, as part of a shakedown cruise to ensure everything was ready when the facility is fully operational, serving up to 20 families overnight and others in its Day Use Program. Each overnight room has two queen-size beds and a full-sized bathtub/shower. The Day Use program allows families with a critically ill child to visit the house and utilize the facilities.

The local Ronald McDonald House offers many amenities and comforts for families to be with loved ones during illnesses.

“On the first floor, we have so many wonderful amenities, like a family living room with a TV, books and a lounge area,” Mason said. “We’ve got a day-use shower where families that are at the hospital can come over and get a shower, wash all that stress off. We’ve got a laundry room. We have a well-being salon where we invite hair stylists to volunteer four hours of their time. It’s a sweet place where, when you’re under stress and you may be from out of town, and you don’t know where to go to get your hair cut, and you’ve been there for a month, they’ll be able to get a shampoo, cut and blow dry. That’ll be for dads, moms and kids.

“And tons of activity space. We’ve got the most incredible playground. We have a basketball half-court. We have a large, covered patio with fans and furnishings, as well as a family grill station. We invite volunteer groups to come and cook dinner. That’s one of the programs of Ronald McDonald Houses; volunteers cook dinner for families every night.

“When someone has a crisis in their family, the first thing we think of — especially in the South — is taking a meal.”

Mason said when families face the trauma of having a critically ill child, RMH provides a calming atmosphere and services to ease their journey.

“We try to make it as normal as possible for them. The Ronald McDonald House around the world is 51 years old. The organization was started in October of 1974. There are now 395 houses worldwide in 62 countries.”

The newest one is right here in northwest Louisiana, already taking care of families in need.