This Saturday is the BIG day :) We will be hosting our Giving Back & Pay It Forward fundraiser benefiting the Ronald McDonald House and Blank Children's Hospital. Please join us for some holiday shopping, fun and a great cause! Here is the letter Reese's Preschool asked me to write to share when asked how the Ronald McDonald House has impacted our family.
Thank you so much for your help in raising money for the Ronald McDonald House!! We are so excited to be able to support them. As many of you know, and some may not our daughter, Reese had an adverse reaction to her H1N1 vaccine last February. After the doctors and neurologists at Blank could not find what was making her so “sick” they life flighted her to Mayo in Rochester. This is where our family found out just how wonderful the Ronald McDonald House is!
The Ronald McDonald House was amazing, not only did it provide Reese’s grandparents who were up helping with our two girls with a place to stay while Reese was in the hospital, but it then provided a place for our entire family (including Reese) to stay while she was on outpatient status receiving the transfusions. They only charge $10 a day!! (I can not imagine paying the hotel costs for the entire 28 days we were there!!) There is always a waiting list and we were blessed to get accepted in only four days. -and then used it for over 20 days. In addition to providing "a roof" they also have a little mailbox that Reese checked everyday when we came back from tests and treatments and found little things from Beanie Babies to handmade construction paper cards. It was an exciting thing for her to look forward to each day. They also line up activities from visitor/therapy dogs, family meals, and games. They are an uplifting environment for children and families. They also provide transportation if you have to go down to the clinic or hospital during office hours, or if you are returning late from the hospital (as my mom and girls often did visiting) they provide taxi vouchers. They are just amazing! The Ronald McDonald House helps to provide support in ways that you would never know were needed until you find yourself in that position.
Ways our money will be used to support them:
#1- They always have a wish list. These things are generally cleaning supplies and personal hygiene type items. We will use the money to purchase items for them from their lists.
#2- Cards and special items for the children to find in their mailboxes. (I remember one day Reese got a little card that was signed inside from "Jack" and she was so excited because "Jack" sent her a card.... no, we don't know Jack, but I think they can relate because it is in little preschool handwriting) Please feel free to make cards for the children, we will deliver them when we go up to visit.
#3- POPTABS... this is an easy thing as we all usually just throw them into the recycle bin and not think anything of it. The RMH collects the tabs and recycles them for money. As a family (and extended family) we all save and when we go up to MN Reese stops in to drop them off. It was always amazing to see families or kids come in with jugs and jugs to dump into this big clear house in the lobby that they collected :)
A little about the fundraiser we are doing at our house November 6th... we will be having a Christmas Open House. We have several "vendors" {Discovery Toys, Scentsy, Usborne books, Purse-n-ality, Pink Bow Designs, and Oh So Cheeky Boutique and more} They have all offered to donate a portion of their sales and some are also donating toys and books based on sales! With the money we are going to go and buy the items on their wish lists (we are supporting our local Ronald McDonald House as well as the one in MN that supported us) Then we are going to take the rest of the profits and buy toys and activities for the residents. (while we were staying there each room received an Easter Basket for Easter, we are hoping to do a little something for Christmas for each family) We will also be asking people to bring their pop tabs. And lastly, we are hoping to have enough money left to do a little something for each child on the Children's floor at Blank. We will be working together with Apex Athletics (where the girls compete in cheerleading) and buy tshirts for each child and have a small group go and visit each room at Blank. Reese thought it was SO COOL to have visitors when she was up there and still keeps her DM Menace Soccer shirt she got signed in a special place and it only comes out to show people :)
That is a little about how the Ronald McDonald House has effected our family, how we can help them, and what our family's goal is to "give back" and "pay it forward". Thank you for all of your efforts in supporting them!! :)
The Ladwigs
Ryan, Candi, Hallie, Reese & Piper
{click on the flyer to enlarge}
{click on the flyer to enlarge}
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