Mr. Electric is helping the Ronald McDonald House save thousands of dollars by installing new, energy efficient light fixtures at the West House this week. The house will also earn a tax credit through the Energy Trust of Oregon because of the new fixtures. Mr. Electric has donated a substantial portion of the labor costs to install the lighting, which made this project possible. We want to thank them for their support!
Visit the Mr. Electric website by clicking here.
Thanks to Cora Lindholm, a junior at St. Mary’s Academy, children at the Ronald McDonald House got to celebrate spring break with three fun days of activities at the West House this week. Cora organized a spring break “camp” at the house, planning different activities each day.
On Monday, “Outdoor Camp” took children outdoors on a nature hike near OHSU. Back at the house, they camped out in a tent, telling stories and making smores. On Tuesday, “Music Madness” taught children how to make their own fun instruments, which they used to form their own marching band. Wednesday was “Dress Up Camp”, making outrageous costumes and performing silly skits.
Cora shared her own spring break to organize all these activities at the Ronald McDonald House, and we want to thank her for all of the fun she brought to the house!
Cora and campers at Ronald McDonald House.
We want to thank our friends at Portland Monthly magazine, who made dinner for guests and families at the Ronald McDonald House East on Monday night. Portland Monthly is starting a regular monthly meal group at the house. We look forward to seeing them again soon!
Visit Portland Monthly’s website.
Portland Monthly staff pose in the dining room.
The Girl Scouts from St. Cecilia’s in Beaverton recently completed a special quilt made for guests at Ronald McDonald House, which they donated to the West House. Below, RMHC volunteers Pat and Janine, display the Girl Scout’s quilt.
Portland-based ShiftWise, a company that provides workforce management services for hospitals and the medical indstury, dedicated their recent company service day to volunteering at both Portland Ronald McDonald Houses. The company brought breakfast for house guests, and also helped with house maintenance at both locations. Thank you to ShiftWise employee’s for all your energy and support!
ShiftWise staff pose at the West House.
It’s not everyday that a published author stays with us at Ronald McDonald House. Meet Jennifer Schmitz, a house guest since January, who has just published her first novel, The Hotel Kincaidia, an engrossing mystery romance set on a fanciful Caribbean island, where one family’s history becomes cursed by their dream of paradise.
Jennifer Schmitz poses with her debut novel in the RMHC East House library.
Schmitz says that she wrote the book in a little over a year, but that the idea had been growing in her imagination for almost two decades. The novel is the first installment of a two part series, exploring the sinister events which have befallen a single family ever since their family hotel grew out of the sand on an otherwise insignificant island haunted by a Voodoo curse in the midst of the Bermuda Triangle.
The book is printed by Publish America, and can be purchased online here.
Staff, Board Members and special guests of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington came together for the annual board retreat last Friday at the Lorenzen Conference Center on the campus of Legacy Emanuel Hospital to lay out priorities for the coming year and discuss the current economic climate and health care issues that impact our service to the community.
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate, especially the guest speakers who volunteered their time:
Paul McGinnis, Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network, Oregon Health & Science University; Michael Plunkett, Director of Community Rotations, School of Dentistry, OHSU; Barney Speight Director of Purchasing, Oregon Health Authority, Dr. Peter Lubisich, Vancouver Pediatric Dentistry & OHSU; John Mitchell, M&H Economic Consultants; Dr. Bruce Goldberg, Director, Oregon Department of Human Services.
The Santana Family of Salem celebrated the memory of Hannah at the West House recently, by preparing dinner for more than 30 house guests to mark her 13th birthday. The family stayed at a Ronald McDonald House in Texas while Hannah underwent treatment for cancer, and returned to their local RMHC as a way to celebrate her birthday while supporting other families in her honor.
The White Family
If you have stayed at Portland’s Ronald McDonald Houses, you can sign our Family Guest Book on our website by sending us a message.
We’ve recently updated our Family Guest Book with new submissions from former guests, sharing messages about their experience at Ronald McDonald House.
Visit our website rmhcoregon.org to read the Family Guest Book.
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Visit the RMHC Oregon & SW page by clicking the icon below to become a fan.
