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Pictured at the launch of the Ronald McDonald House Charity ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign was RTE broadcaster and RMHC ambassador Brenda Donohue, who was joined by Luana Horan (8) and Ben Frazer (6).
NEXT time you visit McDonald’s in Tralee you could help with the building of a Ronald McDonald House at the new National Children’s Hospital.
This month is Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC) Month at their 90 restaurants around Ireland, where customers can purchase a ‘brick’ sticker for just €1 and build a symbolic ‘house’ in each restaurant. All funds raised by McDonald’s during the month-long campaign will go directly to the charity.
RMHC currently provides accommodation for families whose children are seriously ill and are undergoing medical treatment at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
There have been 225 families from Kerry using the RMHC service between November 2004 and December 2015.
McDonald’s Ireland has been a Mission Partner of RMHC since 1998, raising over €465,000 for the charity annually through a series of fundraising initiatives.
McDonald’s support of the charity extends from monetary donations and volunteerism, to cause-related marketing promotions such as ‘Helping Hands’ and ‘RMHC Month’ and McDonald’s customers contribute daily to the RMHC Donation Boxes in every restaurant.
As the charity receives no funding from either the HSE or the Government, it relies on the ongoing support of McDonald’s owner operators, suppliers, employees and customers to keep this vital service running.
The new €16 million RMHC facility, which is due to open on the grounds of St James’s Hospital in Dublin in 2020, will have 53 en suite family bedrooms, family kitchens and dining rooms, laundry rooms, a large children’s playground, a garden for both adults and children to enjoy and underground access to the new hospital.
Launching RMHC month, RTE broadcaster and RMHC ambassador Brenda Donohue said: “Ronald McDonald House is an essential resource for parents of children who are seriously ill. Research shows that children and parents who use the facility experience less stress and improved sleep, which helps them cope with the difficulties they are going through. The charity really benefits from the support provided by McDonald’s so I would encourage customers to ‘buy a brick’ in any McDonald’s restaurant across Ireland this month to support this very worthy cause.”
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