During the month of April, we’re spotlighting some of the hundreds of volunteers who help make our House a home. April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, but it would take years of blog posts to recognize all of the heroes who give of their time to make sure our families are comfortable when they need to stay close to their children who are getting care from Columbus hospitals. So we feature volunteers regularly all the time. Click here to see past volunteer spotlights. Thanks to all of our volunteers for being the backbone of our mission.
By Rick Shepherd
In 2018, RMHC Craftsmen volunteers Jim Houlles (left in feature photo) & Tom Vollmer (right in feature photo) were asked to make a family activity cart with wheels which could be moved around the Ronald McDonald House. Tom brought his grandson Nathan (kneeling in featured photo) to the Ronald McDonald House to help build an activity cart. But he says the young man ended up making “90%” of it. The cart has been a staple in the House dining room ever since, allowing family members to pick out simple arts & craft kits, toys, games, books, and more that have been donated to the House. These items allow guest families of the House a way to entertain themselves and de-stress during their time away from the hospital. Nathan was just starting his teens then and is now finishing his teens. We talked with the Tom and Nathan about the creation of this cart and asked Nathan his thoughts about his experience building the cart. Click the image below to watch the video.