McDonald’s Owner/Operator Doug Wacker brought his staff to the Ronald McDonald House East this week to tour the house and see the work that the charity does with support from McDonald’s restaurants across the state. Contributions from donation boxes, McCafe coffee beverages, and Happy Meals all go to support the House and the families it serves. The staff was able to tour the house, to see it first hand for themselves. We want to thank them for all of their support!

During the RMHC Social earlier this month, the Hannah family from Las Vegas spoke about their personal experience staying at Portland’s Ronald McDonald House East for 28 days in 2010. They’ve allowed us to share that message online. Click the link below to read the text of their speech.

Hannah Family message to RMHC Supporters.

The Chevelle and El Camino Club of Oregon held its annual car show at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds in July. Proceeds from the event will help sponsor Ronald McDonald House families who want to attend the Clackamas County Fair later this summer, while any remaining funds will be donated to the Houses. At the car show, the club also awarded a special Ronald McDonald House prize to a car picked by ten-year-old Caleb, which went to a 1966 Chevelle owned by Cathy Lowrey.

Caleb poses with the car he selected to receive the Ronald McDonald House award.

Caleb hands out the Ronald McDonald House award.

We have 599 Facebook supporters. If you support Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington, help us break through the magical number 600 by recommending our page to your friends. Help our mission by spreading the word to friends online! Click the logo below to visit our Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the 2010 Social & Golf Tournament for Ronald McDonald Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington. We truly appreciate all of the support we receive from the community which makes our mission possible! We hope everyone had a good time at both events, and we especially want to thank Mike Rich and John Lee Hancock for taking us behind-the-scenes of two amazing movies, The Rookie and The Blind Side. Click on the gallery below to see photos from the event.

New online house calendars at rmhcoregon.org will help guests and volunteers keep up-to-date on activities at the Ronald McDonald House. The calendars for each house in Portland are a great resource for anyone who is planning to schedule an upcoming event, whether a meal group or a volunteer activity. The calendars will also help link volunteers with the resources they need to sign up for an activity or schedule a meal, with a date already in mind.

To view the East House Calendar, click here.

To view the West House Calendar, click here.

On Monday, we posted a behind the scenes trailer of The Blind Side, today get a sneak peek of The Rookie – the film written by Mike Rich and directed by John Lee Hancock, before the two team together for a special insiders look at Hollywood filmmaking this Sunday at the RMHC Social at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike Campus. There is still time to register!

Register online here.

Hyatt Regency Maui

Two incredible auction packages will be available for bidding at the upcoming RMHC Social this Sunday. Don’t miss the chance to bid in the rotunda at the Tiger Woods Center, with all proceeds benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington.  The packages are great for couples, for birthday presents, anniversary getaways, or special gifts.

The packages include:

• Seattle Mariners vs. Boston Red Sox, July 24. Includes airfare, two tickets to the game, $200 certificate for dinner, stay at Seattle Marriott. Courtesy of Mike Olson of Darling International, SeaPort Airlines.
• Hawaii golf package – 2 rounds at Ka’anapali Golf Course on Maui, 2 night stay at Hyatt Regency Maui. Courtesy of Doug Kageyama of Ka’anapali Golf Course, Hyatt Regency Maui.

This Sunday, RMHC will welcome The Blind Side writer & director John Lee Hancock to Portland for a special behind the scenes look at Hollywood film making hosted by screenwriter Mike Rich, with dinner, drinks and dessert at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike Campus. You can get a head start by watching this behind the scenes trailer of The Blind Side, which was nominated for Best Picture and won an Academy Award for Best Actress by Sandra Bullock, which includes an interview with John Lee Hancock.

Register for the RMHC Social with Mike Rich & John Lee Hancock online.

Screenwriter Mike Rich appeared on KOIN Studio 6 last week to talk about the upcoming RMHC Social & Golf Tournament. The social is this Sunday at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike Campus, followed by the Golf Tournament at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club on Monday. There is still time to register for both events!

Register online here.

Watch Mike Rich on KOIN Studio 6.