Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit the Ronald McDonald House in New Haven, Connecticut. This House serves the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. This is a beautiful House, fit into an old-style New England mansion, in the heart of downtown New Haven, and only a few blocks from the hospital. We were given a tour of the facility by Dick Popilowski, who we first met when Joy delivered a talk on behalf of the Greater Hudson Valley House earlier this month. The New Haven House is currently limited to 12 rooms with shared bathrooms at the end of the hall, and so is relocating to a new space directly across from the hospital. Dick is directing the capital campaign to raise money towards that goal, and showed us sketches of the proposed building. He also graciously offered valuable advice on running a charitable organization.
We also met Wendy Kirby, who is the House Manager. Wendy explained the different ways the Jennie Foundation could assist the families staying at their House, and also discussed the Meal Program. Our monthly “Jennie Day” meals may soon be going on the Road!
Thank you, Dick and Wendy for taking the time to show us your wonderful facility. We wish you success on your capital campaign. Sadly, the demand for the Ronald McDonald Houses almost always exceeds the supply, and never goes away.
You can find more information about the Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts at http://www.rmh-ct.org.
Yes, all of us who have been introduced to the RMcD houses know their power. It is so helpful for those of us who want to honor Jen’s memory to know exactly how we can help. The thing that is so appealing is that all of our donations to the Foundation go DIRECTLY to help people — no overhead. Thank you and Susan and Joy for giving us this opportunity!