Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House nearing fundraising goal for expansion
Families with little ones receiving critical care at the Coachella Valley’s closest pediatric hospital rely on the generosity of the Ronald McDonald House. Thursday the home-away-from-home for hundreds of local families brought their message to the desert– help them grow to meet the needs of the community.
“Keeps us just a few blocks away,” explains Terry Cechin, “and allows us to be close at all times when Desi’s doing treatment.”
Cechin’s 6 year old daughter Desi has neuroblastoma, and her family spends weeks at a time at Sloane-Kettering in New York, or Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. They always stay at the Ronald McDonald House.
“We started it in 1996,” explains Dick Shalhoub. “Now it’s 2015 and we’re out of space.”
Shalhoub, the owner and operator of more than a dozen Southern California McDonald’s, says the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House has operated at 150 percent capacity in recent years, forcing the non-profit to outsource families to nearby hotels.
“It doesn’t seem possible, but already this year, we’ve seen 200 families we didn’t have room for. That’s a serious thing,” says Shalhoub. “Of the folks that use the house, 70, 75 percent of them are from this area. They’re from the Coachella Valley.”
Thursday night at the Palm Desert Classic Club, Ronald McDonald House brought their case to the desert, recognizing the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California for their cumulative gifts of nearly $7 million.
“This donation is going to enable us to double the size of our current house,” says Michael Kovack, Executive Director of the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House.
The home will expand from 13,000 to 42,000 square feet, enabling the organization to accommodate more families who need a safe place to stay while their loved ones get treatment nearby.
“This is a very good thing because the Ronald McDonald House at Loma Linda takes care of a lot of children’s families in Southern California,” Cechin adds.
More than $3 million is still needed to completely fund the expansion.
Groundbreaking is expected to happen in September.
Click here to helpLoma Linda Ronald McDonald House meet the goal to double its capacity.
