How Sweet A Honey Baked Ham Is!

For our first Ronald McDonald House dinner we were very thankful to have the sponsorship of Swagelok Company.  For our second dinner, however, we needed to find our own resources, which proved harder than we first expected, as many stores have donation policies that they strictly adhere to! 

Given the holiday season, I really wanted to do a ham, so I contact the Honey Baked Ham to see if they would be willing to donate some meat for our dinner.  I was overwhelmed with their generosity!

I was first directed to the regional director, Mr. Bill Walters.  While he was unable to specifically provide meat, he mailed me several generous coupons.  At our local Honey Baked Ham store (in Fairlawn OH), I was assisted by employee Mr. Matt.  He was helpful in assuring me he would combine the coupons, and guided me in which ham would best suit our needs, as I've never gotten a Honey Baked Ham before! When we went to pick up the ham, he was most gracious in providing an ample ham, as well as some extra pieces to make sure we had enough to serve. 

We are so grateful to the Honey Baked Ham, for helping us be able to serve a beautiful and tasty ham to the residents of the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland! Their generosity, care, and spirit of giving brightened our holidays!  Thank you so much!

And a wonderful company! Thank you!!

 

*Picture Courtesy of Honey Baked Ham

Ronald McDonald House Dinner 2.0

Well we did it again-another dinner at RMH! They recently expanded all their facilities, to an astounding 55 rooms; because of the holidays, however, a number of families had gone home.  Still, there were a number of our old friends there, as well as new friends to be made! Making dinner is such a wonderful way to pay forward the blessing it was to us, and we were so privileged to be able to do it!

Our group included Brian and Brad, from our summer intern group who had done dinner in July, and friends new to RMH -Sharon, Craig and Noelle. 

Dad and Mom made chicken curry and vegetable rice, respectively, and raita (yogurt salad) and naan for the dinner, which was a huge hit! There is a large number of Middle Eastern people staying there, so they really appreciate the tastes that hit a little closer to their home foods.  But a number of Americans also enjoyed sampling the ethnic tastes!

After our dinner, Rachel had organized a craft time, with rubber stamping and New Year's masks for all the children (and adults) to decorate. 

A huge Thank You to all my friends and my family who helped make this dinner and craft time!

Our Entire Group!



L: Brian and Daniel making brownies...they made four pans, and with Ruth, David and John,
decorated them in hot pink frosting.  The brownies were a huge hit!
R: Noelle; probably the only time all night she was simply standing! She solidly helped where needed (peeling 30lbs potatoes, warming the veggies, slicing the meat) and arranged all the food in the proper places for dinner! 

Busy Sharon...Happy Sharon!
Among other things, Sharon carved up three chickens so perfectly, we took pictures of it!

 

Craig testing if the potatoes are done-he cooked 30lbs of mashed potatoes!
Craig, me, Sharon, Noelle

Aside from making gravy, Brad brought his guitar to provide some live music.  It was a hit with everyone! From the little girls, who taught him new songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "Jesus Loves Me" to this gentleman, who tried his hand at playing some tunes!

One of the best parts of RMH is making new friends!
L: Jen with Maria and Eva Rose, the cutest little girls ever! Their sister, Emily, just had a heart transplant!!
TopR: Brian and Joseph!
Bottom R: Nadine and Rachel! Nadine and her sister Noha are from Cairo, Egypt

Craft  Time!
 

More Crafts!



Sharon and Craig with their new (masked) identities

The Ronald McDonald House

One of the most recognizable restaurant chains, especially to the very young :), is the golden arches- or McDonalds.  While they are probably best know for serving burgers, one of the incredible outreaches of McDonalds is the Ronald McDonald House-RMH.  There are more than 300 hundred houses in over 50 countries.  "RMH acts as a place to stay for families with hospitalized children who are receiving treatments.  They provide over 7,200 bedrooms to families around the world each night, with an estimated $257 million in lieu of hotel costs."

My family was blessed to be able to stay at the RMH in Cleveland during my BMT.  It is conveniently located walking distance from both the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, though they do provide shuttle service. RMH was an incredible blessing to us all.  It was so nice to know that if I needed something, or something came up, or I was just having a down day, that my parents could be there in five minutes. Also, as my parents and Rachel alternated spending the night with me, it eliminated the nearly hour drive back home.

At RMH, each family receives a room, that contains two double beds and a bathroom.  The Cleveland RMH is currently expanding to 54 rooms, to be able to accommodate even more who request to stay.

Our room...with extra mattress

Through the foyer and building are several open living/relaxation areas-couches, fireplaces, bookshelves with books and DVDs.  Because the RMH is currently under renovation, a few of the rooms were closed, like their play and art rooms. There are also TVs, a piano, and a Foosball table!

One of the family areas

The laundry room

There is a huge dining area, that contains two lovely kitchens, completely stocked with food, down to spices!  There are also several refrigerators  there are two communal fridges-which contain condiments, staples, and communal food.  Then there are the family refrigerators and freezers.  Each family has a box in which they can store their personal food items, that they either cook or purchase.

Family fridges and freezers

Part of the dining room; piano in the back

The entrance to the dining room

RMH fills a very great need, as it relives a burden for families with sick children, from all over the world.  My family met several families from the Middle East, most of whom have an extremely limited English vocabulary.
Families at RMH have children with varied medical needs.  One little tyke needs 5 organ transplants, and has been here nearly a year.  An 8 year old received a heart transplant.  There are kids with cancer, from out of state and out of the country, many for BMT. There are also several families with children in the ICU.

Playing outside with new friends!

Joseph and Yassar. He is 12 and was my neighbor at Rainbow, as he also has cancer.  He is from Saudi Arabia, here with only his dad.  He barely speaks English, but always has a smile!

Foosball with Yassar; 

Rachel, David and Walker- who received a heart transplant

One of the things we learned at the Cleveland RMH is that they have less then a handful of people on staff, but over 150 volunteers.  Volunteers play a vital role in RMH.  Most evenings and some afternoons there was dinner provided, as various volunteer groups brought and cooked dinner.  Some nights volunteers would come and entertain the children.

There are many ways you can help RMH.  Volunteers my family met represented restaurants, businesses  college groups, churches, and individuals.
Here are just a few ideas...

Manpower:
My dad's company has volunteered at RMH for many years.  They go in with simple manpower; their projects have included painting, renovation, yard work, and simply house cleaning.
Meals:
Many groups and individuals make meals. They make use of the full kitchen facilities of RMH.  Some meals are simple, others fancy, but all fill the universal need for nourishment.  One group had a "Ballpark Feast" with hot dogs and the like.  One lady single-handedly made custom salads for each guest.  The "Lovely Lunch Ladies" made a full Easter dinner! "Home-style Dinners" was meatloaf, potatoes, and strawberry shortcake. Our church made chicken, potatoes, salad and brownies.  Most of the college groups made Mexican tacos.  All leftovers are put in the communal fridge, so that families can use them later.  There is no limit to what you can make! It is a blessing not to have to think about cooking meals for the family, when there is so much going on medically.  And for patients like me, who dislike the hospital food, my family would bring some of the leftovers, which I could eat.

Starting seeds

Time:

• Every Thursday night a couple Case students came to RMH.  They came simply to entertain the kids there, playing board games for a couple hours.  
• Periodically, groups from Ashland University came with activities   Once they had egg dying, another time tie-dye t-shirts. Entertaining the kids for a few hours also gives parents a bit of a break!

Games for the big...Catan

And the small...Chutes and Ladders!

Donations:

• Money isn't the only thing you can donate! However, if you do eat at McDonalds, they always have a donation box- just drop your change in!
• Books and DVDs- they have a library collection.
• Toys- one boy asked for toys and games for RMH, in lieu of birthday gifts for himself.
• Handmade items-quilts, hats, pillowcases...small gifts that show someone cares.

The kids with our adopted grandparent, the Abbots

David and John making puzzles

The benefit of homeschooling-you can do it anywhere! 

And your teacher is always with you...

Chocolate milk! 

Simply having fun!

There is so much we who live in our homes take for granted.  RMH has so many families that haven't been home in months.  They are already going through a great family trial of having a child in the hospital.  For many from out of the country, there is also a huge language and culture adjustment, not to mention the food! There is so much that we can do to help ease the burdens in their life.  Please look at this link from RMH entitled 100 Small Gestures-"Sometimes it's the small gestures that can make a family's burden a little less heavy when they are caring for their sick child.  Help us offer even more small gestures to families who need them by making on of your own."