Volunteer Orientation and Introduction to the House
When you look at the Ronald McDonald House from the outside,
it doesn’t exactly look like much. There’s a small glass door in the front next
to the statue of Ronald McDonald, but the place doesn’t look like it can hold
many people. However, when you walk inside, the building is huge. To your left
is a family room with couches and televisions right next to a media room
stocked with movies and a few computers. To the right is the volunteer “headquarters,”
including offices for the workers that service the house, a main desk where
guests can go for help, and an area for volunteers to sign in/sign out. As you
move throughout the house, you’ll discover the dining room, a playroom, a
community room used for large meetings, and the kitchen, which is kept stocked
with food and drinks for the guests. There are numerous storage closets and
laundry rooms on both floors, along with at least twenty guest rooms. The place
is huge, well-furnished, and well-organized. I was impressed with the way
everything operated and couldn’t wait to begin my volunteer experience with the
organization, even though I knew I would spend most of my time assisting the house workers in cleaning the house and ensuring proper operation.
It was made clear to me while conversing with the volunteer
director that the most important part about the Ronald McDonald House is the
family atmosphere. The guests get to know the director of the house, the desk
workers, and each other in order to get through one of the most stressful
experiences of their lives. As volunteers, our purpose has been made clear. Our
main job is to make sure the house runs smoothly so that all the guests may
focus on the more important things in their lives: their health and the health
of their children. As an organization, the Ronald McDonald House strives to
make life a little easier for the parents of children experiencing health
complications. The Ronald McDonald House that services the UK Hospital is no
different, attempting to make the lives of parents with children in the NICU
and PICU a little bit easier.
I've never been to a Ronald Mcdonald house so it was neat to read your insiders perspective! I'm wondering what your plans were to help make the place a more welcoming and homier environment? I feel like it has to be so hard to make these families, who are already going through so much, come to a new place and feel so comfortable. I would definitely struggle with knowing how to ease the transition from having their own homes to living in a house like this.
ReplyDeleteI have some experience with the Ronald McDonald house myself. In Louisville we have Kosair Children's Hospital, which is one of the largest and most specialized children's hospitals in the country. As a result, there is a high demand for the Ronald McDonald house, especially with people travelling from all around the country for their children's treatment and needing a place to stay. They really do have some fantastic facilities.
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ReplyDeleteI remember when my best friend was diagnosed with lymphoma in fourth grade, and he and his family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville while he was receiving his treatments. He always commented on how much he loved the volunteers, and I'm sure it was quite a rewarding experience to play a part in the Organization.
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