Client Spotlight: Ronald McDonald House of Ft. Worth

Great organizations deserve to be recognized! Long time relationships that you cherish are to be professed! So…When it comes to longtime relationships, I have been involved with the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth for the last decade and have served on the Board of Trustees for the last four years. It is a heartfelt thing for me and I want to tell you about it.

The RMHFW has been in Fort Worth since 1981 and has helped many families. If you go to the their website www.rmhfw.org, and click on the Who We Are tab you will read:

“For families of critically ill children, the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth is a place to grab a hot meal and catch a few hours of sleep after an all-night bedside vigil. It's a place for refuge and solace with comfortable beds, private bathrooms, laundry and dining facilities, and a well-equipped game room. The Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth provides a home-away-from-home for families, and allows parents and siblings to stay together while remaining close to a child receiving life-saving medical care in area hospitals. Most of all, the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth is a place where families can find comfort and compassion from volunteers, staff and other families faced with similar challenges.”

As a complete believer in the mission, it is truly the house that love built, the house where all the families with critically ill children can focus on their child’s needs in a time of emotional upheaval and not worry about the day-to-day stuff that tends to distract and take their time instead of being able to focus on what needs to be done…taking care of the child in need.

But of course this all takes effort. With opportunities to donate (over 90 percent of the funding comes from you and me, corporate donors and foundations) as well as the volunteers, everyone can find some way to help.

The upcoming sold out event which is always a favorite is the Wild Game Dinner. A chance to eat way too much food (and I always do!) and bid on fun things that help the house support the families in need. Even though families staying at RMH are not required to pay anything to be there, we do ask them to donate if they can to pay for the $95/night costs that are incurred. This event is one of two big annual fundraisers.

The big Spring event is Ronald’s Roadhouse. Food yes, but also big time music! The inaugural event this past April was a big hit with everyone and completely sold out. Sponsors are already trying to see how they can be part of this coming May’s next iteration.

No matter the time of year, the house is in need of items from the Wish List that are as simple as toilet paper and paper towels, to sponsoring of the electricity, or simply the cost of one family’s night to stay at the house.

Now, Ronald McDonald is important to me because I am personally involved. But I am a firm believer that those of us who have found success need to give back to the community–our community. Whether it is a Ronald McDonald House near you or some other non-profit that you feel passionate about, please find some way to give back from the fruits of your labors and help someone in need.

By the way, one of the staff members is Mac, the Australian Labradoodle, who is the Director of Love and Comfort! How can it not be a cool organization to be involved with when you have a dog on the team!

Michael Mayes
Red Team Property Management