Thirteen-year-old Tyler, from Grants Pass, Oregon, has been here nearly four months—not knowing when he’d be able to return home. His 22-month-old brother is being treated for lingering complications resulting from severe burns.

Throughout his stay, Tyler spent part of each weekday in the classroom at Randall Children’s Hospital. In addition to helping him remain up-to-date on school assignments, the classroom afforded Tyler at least some engagement with other teenagers—though, as he admitted, “there aren’t many other kids my age.”

He wasn’t complaining. To his credit, Tyler maintains a “game face,” which endeared him to staff members, volunteers, and many of the other guests.

In one of his StoryPeople© creations, Brian Andreas paints a character “Deciding everything is falling into place perfectly—as long as you don’t get too picky about what you mean by place. Or perfectly.”

That’s Tyler. He makes the best of his circumstances. Because he’s not too picky about “place” and “perfectly,” things really can fall into place.

Tyler finally gets to leave tomorrow. I’ll miss him. But I’m sure his positive disposition will serve him well in the future. It certainly has moved me.

Tom Soma, Executive Director

The Ronald McDonald House is on the move!

I recently signed two historic documents that open the door to an exciting future. The first, a “Memorandum of Understanding” between RMHC and OHSU, outlines the operational details of a new “West House Waterfront” to be managed by RMHC at the Marriott Residence Inn, beginning July 1. The second, a “Purchase and Sale Agreement,” governs the sale of our existing West House to a developer in the early fall.

These two documents bring to fruition more than a decade of effort—culminating with the Board’s prudent yet courageous decision last year to close the West House in mid-2013. The new course attests to both the hard work we’ve done in the past and the high hopes we have for the future.

As was reported in the news, the West House Waterfront will increase our capacity by more than 30%, enabling us to serve 25 families daily (up from 17 at the existing facility). Guests will have access to several wonderful amenities, including a pool, sauna, and fitness center. What we give up in proximity, we gain in the quality and quantity of guest rooms. Volunteers who spent so much time cleaning in the past will be far more intimately engaged with guests. In short, we’ll continue doing what’s “best for the guest” in every way possible.

The West House Waterfront is likely a preview of the future—in which a permanent new Ronald McDonald House is part of a larger, multi-use facility owned by OHSU. I welcome and applaud OHSU’s commitment and creativity. And I’m excited by the involvement of the Marriott—an organization with a commitment to hospitality that matches ours. This pioneering collaboration is unique within the RMHC system—so the eyes of the world will be on us!

One of our core values is to learn and grow, with respect for the past and hope for the future. As we venture forth, we do so not only with hope, but enthusiasm for the future—and not only with respect, but deep gratitude for the past.

We’re grateful for our founders, who made the West House possible so many years ago. We’re grateful for those who’ve supported the guests so generously over the years—staff members, board members, donors, and especially our hundreds of volunteers. Finally, we’re grateful for the guest themselves—whose courageous journeys are a continued source of inspiration.

Into the future we go. Hold on—it should be quite a ride!

Tom Soma, Executive Director

It’s hard to escape the grisly images that will forever define this year’s Boston Marathon and its week-long aftermath. For me—and I’m sure millions of others—the sights and sounds near the finish line on April 15, 2013 immediately evoked September 11, 2001. While there were far fewer casualties this time, the feelings of shock and violation are no less confounding.

How does one respond to these horrific acts?

Obviously, justice is a necessary function in civil society. But the creation of a safer, more peaceful world—in which such senseless tragedies are remnants of the past—calls for higher virtues.

It’s not easy to meet violence with compassion, hatred with kindness, or agony with hope. Yet the immediate response of countless heroes who assisted the injured—and the subsequent hospitality extended by hundreds who offered food, shelter, and other comfort to complete strangers—attests to our innate capacity for such nobility.

As I attempt to answer the proverbial question, “What can I do?” I find great solace and hope in our work at RMHC.  Clarissa Pinkola Estes eloquently captures our mission in her “Letter to a Young Activist in Troubled Times.”

“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once,” she writes, “but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing.”

We’re drawn to the Ronald McDonald Houses—and each other—because our hearts open immediately and generously to the unfortunate circumstances of our guests. We welcome them with open arms, regardless of their race, creed, gender, financial means, or any other quality by which they might unfairly be judged as “different.” And we assist them as best we’re able—one soul to another, stretching out to mend that which is within reach.

These are the higher virtues that will someday transform the world—if we persevere.

Early on April 15—several hours before the bombings—I lost a wonderful friend and colleague. Unlike the Boston victims, Linda Morris (President and CEO of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities) died peacefully, of complications from breast cancer, with family and friends by her side.

I believe that the most meaningful tribute—to Linda and to all the Boston victims—is simply to carry on. To celebrate our shared service. To extend continued goodwill. To appreciate those who inspire and share this noble cause. And to savor every living breath.

That’s how I intend to respond. It’s the only way I know how to build a better world.

Tom Soma, Executive Director

Vasili and Tom

Last week began and ended with a conspicuous use of the word, “double”—both times in response to a simple question, and each generating a heartening smile.

Monday’s question, to Vasili, our housekeeper and handyman: “How are you doing?”

He grinned broadly, raised both thumbs, and, in a thick Ukrainian accent, answered, “Double good!”

Friday’s question, to Bella, a girl from Roseburg who spent her first three years awaiting the kidney transplant that saved her life: “How old are you now?”

Her earnest answer: “Almost 10! In October I’ll be double digits!”

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard Vasili characterize himself as “double good.” In six years, I’ve never heard him complain. Whether vacuuming a hallway, cleaning a bathroom, or installing a fluorescent bulb, he wears a constant smile.

As for Bella—the fact that she’s almost “double digits” is astonishing. There were times we didn’t think she’d make it to one—or two—or three. Her family never took a day for granted. We got to know them well then—and we continue to enjoy their quarterly returns for Bella’s check-ups.

I also asked Bella whether she had a boyfriend yet—to which she adamantly replied, “No. Not until I’m 20 or 30!” I include this for posterity’s sake; I’m sure she and her parents will revisit that assertion long before another decade passes.

For now, I celebrate both Vasili’s double good nature and Bella’s upcoming double digit birthday. If I had four thumbs, they’d all be up!

Tom Soma, Executive Director

From the archive, a much-younger Bella with Tom