Thanks to a generous donation organized by local McDonald’s franchisee Doug Dooley and a Moose Jaw couple with a unique memorabilia collection, the Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) in Saskatoon has a few more dollars to help families be there for their sick children.
The couple, who asked their names remain anonymous when they arranged the donation, raised an impressive $10,000 earlier in the month to give to the localized non-profit organization.
To raise the money, they offered individual tours of their private collection of antique memorabilia that they call “The Cave,” which features McDonald’s memorabilia in addition to other collectibles.
“When you come into The Cave, it has all the McDonald’s memorabilia right at the front welcoming you, so that definitely makes a statement about who they’re supporting and how,” said Tammy Forrester, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan. Forrester visited the collection earlier this fall to chat with the donors, joined by Dooley and RMHC Saskatchewan's fund development coordinator Karen Linsley.
The couple then topped their donation up to reach its impressive final total, said Forrester, which is greatly appreciated by the non-profit organization.
This is actually not the first donation RMHC Saskatchewan has received from these generous donors, said Forrester, as the local couple has donated continuously for several years now.
What did make this donation stand out, aside from its impressive size, was that it was delivered during a very tough year for fundraising.
Forrester said that the RMHC had to cancel and change a lot of its scheduled fundraisers this year. She said even this local couple was briefly unsure if they’d be able to offer a donation this year due to COVID-19, but the regular donors certainly came through despite their concerns.
“They have done this for many, many years already, for the House, but this contribution was definitely sizeable for the year we’ve experienced,” said Forrester.
In fact, any donation this year has been much appreciated by the RMHC team, said Forrester, as every dollar allows the RMHC to help families in the province.
Donations like this one help in plenty of ways, explained Forrester, as they allow the non-profit to provide accommodations, travel and meals to families who need to travel away from home to provide their children with healthcare treatment.
“We offer accommodation, food and a supportive home-like environment they can stay at while their child might be in the hospital or receiving treatment in a Saskatoon facility [and] donations from generous donors like these ones in Moose Jaw help us do that,” said Forrester.
McDonald’s franchisees help generate operating costs for the charity organization, through initiatives like McHappy Day, contributing about 25 per cent of the RMHC’s annual costs. The rest, said Forrester, relies on donations and fundraisers in the community.
Particularly this year, charitable donations have helped the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon to expand its meal program availability — alleviating the stress of visiting grocery stores while parents stay at the house.
The non-profit has also been able to create a shuttle service for families, manned by volunteers and funded by the RMHC, to help them get to appointments or to and from the hospital.
RMHC supports families from all over the province who must travel to seek healthcare for their children, including a combined 50 families from the Moose Jaw and Swift Current areas last year — which is why donations like this one make such a difference.
“There’s nothing but gratitude, that’s what we have towards really any donations, small or large,” said Forrester. “Everyone is doing their part to keep not-for-profits supported [and] it's been such an odd year that’s had so much uncertainty, so we are very grateful for that type of support.”
