Community
Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital has welcomed its 1000th overnight guest family.
The Family Room was opened in December 2013. It’s run by the Ronald McDonald House Charities NZ organisation that provides free accommodation and support to families with children in hospital.
The ‘1000 families’ milestone will be marked over a 10-day period to represent the average length of stay for guest families.
RMHC NZ Family Room Supervisor Helen Walker has worked to ensure the space is welcoming and comfortable for families since it opened nearly nine years ago, in December 2013. She has met almost all of the 1000 families that have stayed to date.
“Every one of those families has had a unique journey with their child in hospital, but the key purpose of our role has always remained the same. It’s based around us taking care of daily necessities to allow families the ability to focus on their child.”
RMHC NZ Community Engagement, Andie Gentle says all local volunteers and supporters, past and present, should share in the milestone too.
“We rely largely on support from the community to keep our doors open for families that need us. Community support enables us to operate, so this is a milestone for Southland to celebrate together.”
Please note: The 1000th family will not be named publicly until after they have completed their medical journey.
More info on the 1000 families milestone celebrations
- From the 15th October a roving donations and information stall will be set up at Southland hot spots. The aim of the stall is to collect one-off donations and promote the ‘House Warmer’ campaign, where people can sign up for a regular donation from just $5 a month.
- Updates about the 1000 families milestone can be found on the Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/RonaldMcDonaldFamilyRoom
- Past guest families are also encouraged to get in touch with [email protected] if they wish for RMH to share their story.
How many loads of washing?!
Here’s 10 fun facts from Ronald McDonald Family Room Southland Hospital
- 1000 families have stayed overnight at the Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital since it opened in December 2013.
- The RMH Southland team work to support around 110 families that stay each year in the Ronald McDonald Family Room, Southland Hospital, plus hundreds more who utilise the facility as day guests. We also raise funds to support the 300+ Southland families who find a home-away-from-home at Ronald McDonald House in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch every year.
- Breakfast is a favourite meal of the day at the Family Room. The 1000 guest families date to have enjoyed more than 2,000 loaves of bread, 1,500 boxes of cereal and nearly 10,000 litres of milk!
- Having use of a full laundry is extremely helpful for families staying with us. Between them, the 1000 overnight guest families have done more than 20,000 loads of washing!
- Our volunteers are an important part of our team. Currently we have around 15 regular volunteers who help keep the Family Room clean and welcoming for families through housekeeping duties. We also have several regular fundraising and events volunteers. We currently have a volunteer drive on to help boost up those numbers.
- Together, they have provided more than 15,000 voluntary hours in support of the first 1000 families.
- The Family Room features four overnight bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen, laundry, bathroom and outdoor BBQ area. All areas offer opportunities for sponsorship.
- The families tell us they appreciate having a homely place to take a break from the hospital environment and recharge. The 1000 families to date have enjoyed 80,000 cups of tea and 50,000 pieces of baking!
- Longest stay for a family at the Family Room is 99 nights, the average length stay is 10 nights.
- Family Room Supervisor Helen Walker has worked at the Family Room since welcoming the first family nearly nine years ago. Throughout that time she has become a key figure in many of the families’ journeys. Somehow, she remembers them all too!