October 2020

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

The project is complete, but we still need your help!

We are so very excited to announce that our Expansion and Project Design is complete!! From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who made this dream of ours a reality. From the RMHC Board, staff, and volunteers, to the community and supporters who donated, to the builders and contractors, to all the phenomenal designers and vendors...we did it!

When a child is sick, the entire family needs comfort and support. Now that we have 12 , we can double the number of families who can remain near their child. Stay tuned for full photos of all the spaces and rooms some time in November.

There are still sponsorships available for individuals, groups, businesses, families, etc. Please read about our RAD program next. Then, reach out to Executive Director, Laura Ragain, if you are interested in helping! Our number is 239-437-0202. To read more about our Capital Campaign, please visit: rmhcswfl.org/house-expansion. Room Adoption Donor

Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. This feeling is one you make possible for families calling us their “-away-from-home”. By adopting a room at RMHC SWFL, you will help families stay close to their sick child and the care they need. Families will receive warm welcomes, friendly smiles, homemade meals, their own private space, and the much needed rest they deserve during a stressful time.

Since we do not receive any government funding, these gifts play an integral role in keeping our open Clickand hereour pantryfor a fun full. Support from the community made it possible for thevideo following message! in 2019:

1,435 family night stays at Ronald McDonald House Southwest Florida 6,491 patient family visits to the Ronald McDonald for snacks, beverages, laundry services, rest, and relaxation. 8,000+ children served by the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® program in Southwest Florida.

With your support, sick children will get what they needed most...their families. Be RAD and help out all the awesome families who stay with us!

Rad: adjective The definition of rad is slang for an excellent person or thing. "They are so rad because they adopted a room at the Ronald McDonald House!" Available Spaces for RAD

Living Room: $50,000.00 Volunteer Office: $15,000.00 : $25,000.00 each Executive Office: $15,000.00 Weekend Manager's Room: $25,000.00 Quad Office: $15,000.00 Expansion Foyer: $20,000.00 Restrooms: $10,000.00 each : $20,000.00 Storage Units: $10,000 each Front Office: $15,000.00

The Ronald McDonald House helps loved ones remain together as a family in an environment of comfort, compassion, strength, and support. Serving families who must travel far from home, the House is much more than a room to stay in.

It provides support and resources for families with sick children just steps from the Click here for a fun hospital. The Ronald McDonald House offers a place to call home at little or no cost video message! so families can stay together.

Average Length of Stay: 25 Nights On average, guest families spend 25 nights at the Ronald McDonald House SWFL, but some have stayed as long as a year!

Farthest Distance a Family Traveled: Spain We help families in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties. However, some families have to travel much further, depending on the care their child needs.

Reasons Families Needed the Comfort of RMH Their child was born prematurely and is in the NICU Their child is receiving chemotherapy treatments Their child was injured in an accident Their child is receiving rehabilitation, procedures, etc. Their child is having surgery

Ready to help? Give us a call at 239-437-0202. Thank you! Project Design spotlight

Please help us in thanking our Project Manager, Leanna Gonzalez!

Leanna's tireless efforts and dedication to Project Design 2020 are very much appreciated! She was integral in making sure everything with our house expansion and Project Design was a success! Her pride in all she does for the charity shows. We couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you for all your hard work, Leanna! Upcoming Events

Friday, November 13, 2020: Grampy's Clay Shooting Tournament Postponed!Postponed!Sarasota Trap, Skeet & Clays 3445 Rustic Road, Nokomis, FL Click here to reserve your spot Friday, December 11, 2020: Grampy's Pro-Am Golf Tournament Fiddlesticks Country Club 15391 Canongate Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33912 Click here to reserve your spot Saturday, February 6, 2021: 27th Annual Storybook Ball Ronald McDonald House SWFL Click here to reserve your spot

Postponed!Postponed! Announcements

Our Volunteer Manager, Illeny Farese, participated in the 4th Annual Clips for Cancer! Cisco, a former guest in the Ronald McDonald House, patient of Golisano Children's Hospital, and leukemia survivor, shaved her head!

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." -Hellen Keller Francisco “Cisco” Brito and his mother “September is Pediatric Cancer stayed with us at the Ronald McDonald Awareness Month. Participating in Clips House while Cisco received treatments for Cancer is a small way to bridge my for leukemia. at Golisano Children's passion for our charity, our families, and Hospital of Southwest Florida, This made our hospital partner, Golisano Children’s it easier to balance the family’s needs Hospital. And I will have a very brave while supporting Cisco’s healthcare young man by my side,” said Illeny. If regimen. Cisco and his mother were such you didn't catch the video of Illeny a pleasure to be around so naturally, a getting her new do, we shared it on our great relationship formed. This special Facebook page. To all those who bond inspired Illeny to face the razor and supported and donated to this great have Cisco shave her beautiful curly hair cause, we sincerely thank you! in support of local children battling cancer at the Clips for Cancer. Volunteer corner

ALL VOLUNTEERS First off, we miss you all so much! The House has not been the same without your presence. We look forward to the day we can welcome you all back with open arms! In the meantime, we'd like your feedback on your comfortability with returning as a volunteer.

We are working with RMHC Global and Golisano Children's Hospital to determine when it will be safe to reintroduce volunteers. We will make every effort to keep our guests, volunteers & staff safe. No volunteers are required to return if they do not feel safe or comfortable.

When you do return it will look different than before, and likely be only one volunteer pershift. We anticipate resuming volunteers inside the House first, and with our Family Room programs at a later date (in accordance with hospital guidelines).

We strongly urge any volunteers who are considered most vulnerable to COVID-19 to NOT return to volunteering too soon. We miss you but want to ensure you remain safe and healthy. Your input will help us make an informed decision together!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT A BRIEF SURVEY TO BETTER PREPARE US FOR OUR REOPENING. THANK YOU!

EVENT VOLUNTEERS We are in need of volunteers for the following event dates: Thursday, December 3, 2020: Project Design Grand Reveal Party Ronald McDonald House SWFL Friday, December 11, 2020: Grampy's Pro-Am Golf Tournament Fiddlesticks Country Club- 15391 Canongate Drive, Fort Myers Saturday, February 6, 2021: 27th Annual Storybook Ball Ronald McDonald House SWFL

Please email [email protected] if you can help out! Thank you! Ways to Help

There are so many ways you can help raise money for RMHC® SWFL so we can help families in need!

Provide Family Meal Program Assistance It will still be a little while before we can have volunteer cooks back in the . Once we open back up to families, we still want to be able to provide a warm meal to them every night. We will use the Family Meal Program funds to purchase food at local restaurants and grocery stores so our families won't have to worry about dinner. Click here to support.

Donation Towards RMHC SWFL Programs Your donation is helping families with sick children stay close to each other, as well as the care and resources they need! Click here to support.

Facebook Birthday Fundraiser Instead of birthday gifts, ask your friends to donate to RMHC by creating a Birthday Fundraiser on Facebook. Also, invite friends to like our page! Click to start a fundraiser.

Vehicle Donation Program Donations of a used car, truck, boat or RV can help provide families a home-away- from-home at Ronald McDonald House® in Fort Myers and keep them together during the hospitalization of a seriously ill child. Vehicles are picked up for free! Donations are tax deductible. Click here to read more.

Host a Gift Card Drive Gather a group of friends and collect gift cards These gift cards can be from Publix, Target, Walmart, Costco, Amazon, gas stations, or any local restaurants. All gift cards will be used for meals, cleaning supplies, paper products, or given to families needing assistance.

Use Amazon Smile to Purchase Wish List Items Order anything from our Wish List and it will be delivered directly to our ! To top it off, when you order from Amazon Smile, Amazon donates a portion of your order back to us! Click here to order from our Wish List.

Become an OMG for RMHC! Become a OMG (Once a Month Giver) and help us provide stability and resources to families so they can be near their children while they receive the care they need. Click to read more. Thank You!

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southwest Florida is to create, find and support programs that directly impact the health and well being of children and their families in Southwest Florida.

RMHC Southwest Florida provides stability and resources to families so they can be near their children while they receive the care they need. All RMHC Southwest Florida supported programs provide a bridge to quality health care and help give children and families the time they need together.

Please visit www.rmhcswfl.org for more information

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