Extending Our Arms by Heather Bivin
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HOME NEWS Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio, Texas, Inc. Volume 37, Issue No. 33, 2017 Extending Our Arms By Heather Bivin October 4, 2016 was a very exciting day for us! It was the day tasty snacks and lovely decorations, we had the most wonderful were all in attendance! We even had some special friends from we re-opened our location at the newly renovated Children’s party guests! Elias Neujahr, President of Children’s Hospital of Texas Children’s Hospital travel all the way from Houston to help Hospital of San Antonio! After being closed for several years San Antonio, Penny Viteo, President of the Board of Directors for us celebrate! while the hospital underwent major construction and transitioned the San Antonio Ronald McDonald Houses, and our Executive from Christus Santa Rosa Hospital to Children’s Hospital of San Director, Pat Bivin all warmed our hearts with their heart-felt We are so excited and very honored to have our Children’s Antonio, our beautiful, 16 bedroom home is open and ready to speeches. Dr. Dennis Gonzalez, Vice President for Mission Hospital of San Antonio Ronald McDonald House open and welcome families with open arms! Just a stone’s throw away Integration for Christus Santa Rosa Health Care, gave a beautiful available to families who need us during a heart-wrenching time. from their child’s bedside, parents can relax and take a break blessing with the assistance of Sister Sarah Lennon. Architect, Every Ronald McDonald House is a home filled with love knowing that their children are in the very capable hands of the Carey Chambers , General Contractor, The Koehler Company, and support, understanding and hugs. We welcome this hospital staff. our furry, 4-legged friends and their proud pet parents from opportunity to extend our arms even more! Thank you to all of T.A.S.A. , Ronald McDonald House patients, staff and board our wonderful supporters for making this possible! We couldn’t And just how we celebrated this joyous occasion, you might be members, hospital staff members, donors, friends from the com- have done it without you! wondering…With a grand opening party of course! Along with munity, and the man himself, our namesake, Ronald McDonald 1 Board of Directors PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Penny Viteo President Penny Viteo Time, Talent, and Treasure Vice President Operations It’s that time of the year again. We’ve gotten through the holidays and are starting a fresh new year, and typically we look forward to it with optimism. We Jane Fried make our New Year’s resolutions and start out keeping them. Some of those resolutions we manage to keep, and some we don’t. Nevertheless, the new Treasurer/V.P. Finance year ritual of renewal and commitment is important to us as individuals even if we don’t keep some (or even any) of our resolutions. Simon Thompson Vice President Development I believe the same ritual is good for institutions, such as the Ronald McDonald House. It’s important to take a look back and see what went well and what Augie Estrada did not, and then make our plan for the new year. That is what is currently happening at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio (RMHCSA). Secretary Clarissa Rodriguez In most regards, last year was a good year for us. We completed the renovation and expansion of the Ronald McDonald House located within the Children’s COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS Hospital of San Antonio (CHOSA). After an almost two-year period, we opened our house on November 3, 2016 to the children (and their families) Bess Malone undergoing treatment at CHOSA. Not only is it a beautiful new house, it is very welcoming and comforting. The presence of the House within CHOSA is Ted D. Lee Paul Olivier very important to the children and families, particularly for parents who have children in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. Like our other two Sharon Smith houses near San Antonio hospitals, the CHOSA House is a great example of fulfilling our mission – providing a home away from home for sick children Dorothy Wise and their families, the vast majority of whom would not be able to afford any other place to stay. The funds for the renovation of the new CHOSA House Bob Rios Petey Hale were raised in a capital campaign that began in 2013. Roddy Baker Emilie Rogers Allen Cazier But we are not done with our capital campaign. There is a tremendous need for an additional house at the Medical Center in San Antonio. The pediatric Sandi Kolitz expansions at Methodist Hospital and University Hospital, and other facilities, are drawing pediatric patients to San Antonio from all over South Texas. Our Beth Plummer current house in the Medical Center is full almost 100% of the time – we are turning away children and their families. Dale Peterson Leslie Foley George McClure We have the land on which to build a new house in the Medical Center and we are raising funds to build the new house. Resolve to make the difference. Gordon Brown Larry Roberts Plan to donate to the Capital Campaign to build a 4th Ronald McDonald House. If you are a regular donor, we appreciate your continued support, but Danielle Marasco challenge you to give more. If you overlooked your contribution-there’s no time like the present! With your additional funding, we will be steps closer to Carlos Rodriguez turning our dream of building a 4th house into a reality. HONORARY BOARD Margery Block So, as you are considering your New Year’s resolutions or your plan for 2017, please consider giving the RMHCSA a capital contribution by checking the Harvey Hancock Connie Weyel building fund on the enclosed envelope, and encourage others to do the same. We, and especially our kids and their families, need your help in making Carl Weyel house #4 a reality-and that is a New Year’s resolution that’s easy to keep! MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Luis Acosta Thank you. Maria Victoria Acosta Darrin Baron Amy Bastoni Eduardo Berain Brandon Cortese Mark Gilger, MD Bradley Lacy Sarah Maloney Danielle Dobski Marasco Kawhi Leonard Stephen Motz Barbara Neisendorf Roxanne Olivarri Visits Russell Parker Joseph Pena Daniel Pickett Ronald McDonald Michelle Ryerson Karen Shaffer Johnise Stamper House. Phyllis Trager Damita Jo Williams 2 SAVE THE DATE September 30, 2017 Ronald McDonald House Fundraising Event at The Tobin ROCK STARS & STRIPES: The American Rock Experience The Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio, Texas, Inc., has been chosen as “Charity of the Eve- ning” for an event at The Tobin Center for the Arts on Friday, September 30, 2017. We will be partnering with DAVID VICTOR PRESENTS for a show called ROCK STARS & STRIPES: The American Rock Experience. We hope all of you will save the date and join us for this fundraising event. ROCK STARS & STRIPES is a live theatrical rock concert featuring the greatest American rock music of all time, starring former BOSTON vocalist/guitarist DAVID VICTOR. The ROCK STARS & STRIPES show features the greatest hits of The Eagles, BOSTON, Aerosmith, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen, and many, many more American rock stars with a cinematic rock 'n roll road trip across America (including our own State of Texas). MTV and Emmy Award winner Jeff Clark provides the spectacular road trip visuals of America's musical hotspots and their people. The ROCK STARS & STRIPES show will hold a live guitar auction during the show where audience members can text a bid for a beautifully-wrapped, autographed ROCK STARS & STRIPES guitar, and 100% of the proceeds will go to our Ronald McDonald House. Staff from our Ronald McDonald House will also be selling souvenir show programs with profits also going to our Charity . Tickets are available now through The Tobin's website. They have provided us with the following link with a discount code for Ronald McDonald House supporters. There is also a limited number of VIP packages available which would include a meet 'n greet with the cast members, a show program, and a free merchandise item; just click on the dropdown box for that package. All of us here at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio hope to see you at the show to help support our House as "Charity of the Evening" at the ROCK STARS & STRIPES show, Friday, September 30, 2017, at The Tobin Center for the Arts. SAVE THE DATE! Go to https://www.rockstarsandstripesshow.com to watch Rock Stars & Stripes 2017 - Rock In America The link for tickets: www.tobincenter.org, click on the show, click on 'buy now in the upper right, choose your seats, then in the lower left, they have a box called... Promotional Code • If you have a promotion, please enter the Access Code here:(there is a box to enter code) You just enter RMHROCKS15, and it should adjust the amount by 15%. When we started to put together the Rock Stars & Stripes show, the guiding principle was to elevate the community, its heroes and America. Without the people that keep us free, safe, educated, fed and helped when we need it – we would never have the rock and roll heritage that is a light to the world today. The Rock Stars & Stripes “Local Heroes” segment acknowledges some of those heroes that exist – often in anonymity – in our community. We want to recognize them and thank them for their service and sacrifice. In doing so, we acknowledge that there are many hidden heroes as well and that these honorees represent thousands of others who toil and sacrifice each day to allow us to be free.