COLUMBUS—The Dean’s Charity Steer Show, an event that benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Central Ohio, returns to the Ohio State Fair in 2022 after a two-year COVID-inspired hiatus. Hosted by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), it will be held from 2–4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, in the Cooper Arena at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair.

“This exciting event brings together our community to celebrate agriculture and children, both for our 4-H youth as well as children benefiting from the Ronald McDonald House,” said Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES. “Every dollar we raise means families can stay together only steps away from their hospitalized child during one of the most stressful times of their lives.”

Each year, more than 82,000 nights of rest are provided to families of seriously ill children by the Columbus Ronald McDonald House, the second largest Ronald McDonald House in the world. The facility provides a home away from home for families facing a child’s illness and hospitalization.

Currently, the Columbus Ronald McDonald House is undergoing a major expansion, more than doubling the size of the facility. Once completed, it will boast 202 guest rooms, a new kitchen and dining facility, new staff offices, and a community event room. It will once again be the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world after the expansion.

To raise funds for RMHC, 11 celebrity exhibitors, most of whom have no livestock experience, will not only show a steer during the Dean’s Charity Steer Show, but will also compete to see who can raise the most money. Most exhibitors will team with a local media personality as well as an experienced 4-H livestock family and their steer, and will practice with them before entering the show ring.

Families and 4-H youth, most from central Ohio, will participate and represent the counties of Clark, Fairfield, Gallia, Geauga, Highland, Muskingum, Stark, Tuscarawas, Warren, and Wayne.

Celebrity exhibitors will include Troy Balderson, public servant; Matt Harper, McDonald’s owner/operator; Tom Feeney, executive chairman, Belron North America; Clark Kellogg, former Ohio State and NBA player and CBS Sports college basketball analyst; Bob Kendrick, anchor, ABC-6 News; Rick Ricart, Ricart Automotive; Jane Scott, executive director, Columbus Metropolitan Club; Ryan Smith, president, University of Rio Grande; Gene Smith, senior vice president and athletic director, Ohio State; Bill Patterson, president, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation; and Kirt Walker, chief executive officer, Nationwide.

Media personalities will include Joe Boxer, host, WCOL radio; Angela An, news anchor, WBNS-10 TV; Matt Barnes, morning co-anchor, NBC-4 TV; Cameron Fontana, entertainment reporter and host, ABC 6/FOX 28/CW, Good Day Columbus; Kayla Hanley, morning radio personality, 92.3 WCOL radio; Tim Irr, news anchor, WSAZ-TV News Channel 3, Huntington, West Virginia; Ty Higgins, senior director of communications, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation; and Dale Minyo, farm broadcaster, Ohio Ag Net.

More than 900 spectators attended the inaugural Dean’s Charity Steer Show in 2019, and nearly 8,000 tuned in to watch via livestream on Facebook. Donation amounts ranged from 81 cents to $15,000, with a total of $152,000 raised for RMHC.

Located across the street from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Columbus Ronald McDonald House provides not only lodging, but also meals, a place to rest, laundry facilities, an exercise room, informal gathering areas, and activities for siblings of hospitalized children.

The Dean’s Charity Steer Show is coordinated by CFAES, the Telhio Credit Union, and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, and it is held in partnership with the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair.

To learn more and to donate to your favorite celebrity exhibitor or media personality, visit give.osu.edu/deanscharitysteershow.

By Nitisha Bridgeforth, Intern

Originally, I didn’t take notice of this building. But, every time I passed it I couldn’t help but glance over at the brightly colored Ronald statue that sat in front of the bullying. Although I used to think Ronald was creepy, now that I understand his significance, I now see it as a symbol of kindness.

Upon entering, my first was “Wow’. The place was larger than I thought, neat, well-organized, and spacious. There was also a very cozy vibe, so I couldn’t help but calm down my nervousness. When I asked for help, the staff was extremely friendly and assisted me in getting to where I needed to go. Families could be seen coming in and out of the building as well as volunteers. I was honestly surprised to see a lot of people coming in and out of the building.

Following our meeting with our mentors, they gave us a tour of the house. I was happy to learn that the majority of the items on display were donations. To realize that the entirety of this build was funded by donations was an eye-opening experience for me. It touched my heart to see people who were so open about their feelings. It was beautiful to witness people who genuinely cared about someone else other than themselves. And just seeing that the smallest jobs in this place make a huge difference is incredible.

What I’m trying to express is that I obviously fell in love with this building and establishment after viewing it. I adore the community and the way it functions. It’s incredible to watch family members walking around, truly cheerful and hopeful. I’m overjoyed to be a part of the Ronald McDonald House team this summer!

By Lindy Brobeck, Development Dept. Intern

Hi! My name in Lindy Brobeck and I am an intern in the development department at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio this summer. I am a current student at Marietta College in southeastern Ohio. I am getting a degree in educational studies, focusing specifically in nonprofit development. I also am a member of the women’s lacrosse team and have played for the last 13 years. I have been involved with the house for around 7 years in all different ways and could not be more excited to see what this summer’s opportunities bring!

Throughout the last 7 years I had the opportunity to see and do many things for and with the house. I had the chance to start and host 2 dance marathons at my high school raising around $13,000 for the house and was able to connect with a great family who has used the houses services. I also got to take some of my senior pictures in front of guest room#310 in the house, which is dedicated to my grandfather.

The House has given me the chance to realize and purse what I believe to be one of my biggest passions in life, which I like to say is people.
Saying that my passion is people does not always make the most sense with others, so this is what I mean: Whether at lunch with friends or just talking to a stranger at a function, I love people and learning how to help them be the happiest and most prosperous version of themselves I can. Pursing that passion for me means finding somewhere that has people as its main focus. It is safe to say the Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio and the staff that work here put a very large focus on people and making life better for them.

I cannot wait to see what new and exciting things I will get to be a part of this summer at the house. This internship and the people I am connecting with because of it are amazing, and they too I believe have a very strong passion for people.

April’s Volunteer Appreciation Month Highlighted With Special Note from Guest Family to Volunteers and Our Viral Volunteer Videos

Volunteer Appreciation Month kicked off with the first day in April by the arrival of a thank you card for volunteers which included a special recognition of weekend volunteer Mike Amfahr with an enclosed photo of Mike standing next to the young patient who signed the card, a shout out to our cooking volunteers, and the all-volunteer band organized by hospital workers.
“To all you WONDERFUL people at the RMH,” the handwritten message inside the card begins. “THANK YOU from the bottom of our hears for providing such a wonderful place to stay while Tyler was in the hospital. You do an amazing job making a difficult time a little more positive, especially for the kids. We especially enjoyed the home-cooked meals and the concert by NACHO! 🙂
“And a very special thank you to Mike… you have no idea how special that was for Tyler to be your helper. He still talks about that day and he still has that dead lightbulb! Thank you for making our little boy so happy!”
“Hope to see you again next time when we come for Tyler’s BIG surgery. ♥”
The note is signed, “From Rob, Erin, & Tyler Griffin” and includes “Tyler” written in big blue marker at the very end.
Every day in April, we featured a different volunteer or group of volunteers. Click the image below to see a compilation of videos from and about our volunteers that were posted on social media throughout the month.

By Rev. Judy Noble, Pastor, St. Lukes Presbyterian Church, Titusville, FL

Our daughter, Ashlee, and her husband, Jacob, lived in Florida and were visiting Ohio the last weekend of May 2021 for a bachelorette/bachelor weekend at Hocking Hills to celebrate our youngest daughter’s upcoming wedding that August. Ashlee was 31 weeks into her pregnancy and developed severe preeclampsia. She was triaged in Hocking Valley Community Hospital, then transported by ambulance to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital unit at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital where the medical team helped her deliver their first child, Gabriel. Our family went into support mode for Ashlee, Jacob and Gabriel as they were more than 1,000 miles from home and without anything except what they had packed for their vacation week.

Ashlee, Jacob, and two of our family members who served as their NICU additional support team used the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Riverside Hospital as a place to rest, eat, and refocus during the seven weeks that Gabriel was in the NICU. Ashlee and Jacob also were blessed with the opportunity to live at The Ronald McDonald House in Columbus, which gave them a beautiful and supportive place to live while Jacob and Ashlee were learning to parent a son in the NICU and who both were unable to work because they were so far from home.

As Ashlee’s mom, I was the visitor who was able to be their support person from The Ronald McDonald House. During this time of Covid-19, just one visitor per family was allowed in the Ronald McDonald Family Room, so I was also able to visit them at the hospital and retreat to the family room where I was close by when they needed me. I saw firsthand how the staff and physical space of both the Ronald McDonald House and the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Riverside Hospital impacted the ability of Ashlee and Jacob to navigate the deep challenges they faced during those first seven weeks of Gabriel’s life. As a pastor who has journeyed with people in many different hospitals, I can say that the Columbus Ronald McDonald House and the Ronald McDonald House Family Room at Riverside Hospital are two of the biggest gifts I have ever seen for families who are in some of the most emotionally and physically overwhelming days of their lives.
Gabriel will celebrate his first birthday at the end of this month and we are forever grateful for the gift you gave our family of support, space, and help during his first weeks of life. Thank you for your wisdom, vision, teamwork, commitment, and love for our family and thousands of others!

Many thanks to John Coffman Photography for capturing photos from our Ground Breaking Ceremony

By Justin Ferrell

The night Ripley was born, the doctor looked at us and said “This is going to go one of two ways. Ripley’s going to be born and I’m either going to hand him to you or he’s going to go straight to the NICU…and there’s no way to know which until he’s here with us.”

Sure enough, Ripley took the second route. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia after Audra was on four weeks of hospital bed rest, and immediately, what felt like 50 people crowded around him and I just caught myself holding my breath and saying “Please…please…please…”

Fast forward 24 hours and we are on our way to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, several hours behind the helicopter that had flown Ripley there from our home hospital in West Virginia. Ripley was born with what are called posterior urethral valves, which is just the medical phrase for “unable to release urine.” As a result of these valves, Ripley has hydronephrosis, which is a technical way to say that fluid (in his case, urine) damaged his kidneys. He’s currently on dialysis and will eventually need a transplant when he is older.

We are first time parents and the journey to bring Ripley into the world was long and hard. The thought of being separated from him for even a moment terrified us. This is where the Ronald McDonald house comes in. The Ronald McDonald house has allowed us to be at Ripley’s side every day, never missing a test, scan, first smile, or first cries.

When people think of the Ronald McDonald House, they often picture something akin to a hotel. A place to sleep, meals, and laundry services. But in my experience, those are the least of what the Ronald McDonald house provides. The core of every interaction from the moment you arrive is to create and facilitate a family.

A home.

From the moment we woke up and checked in, we were greeted by a team of people who sent us off with well wishes for our little one; hopeful that the day only brings good news. The moment we came back, we were again greeted by a team asking about our day. Ready to cheer us on through the big exciting milestones, and show compassion and empathy on our hardest days.

We are introduced and connected to the families around us allowing us to share and connect with those who truly understand the journey we are on.

But I think the transition that exemplifies best what the Ronald McDonald house provides is in the language you use. When you first arrive, you exclusively refer to it as “The Ronald McDonald house”. As time moves on, you use the phrase “going across the street”, but the real change comes when you start to refer to the Ronald McDonald house as home. We were there long enough for our phones to start calling the Ronald McDonald House “home” in Apple Maps when we were trying to get directions around a city we’d barely ever visited before. That is what the Ronald McDonald house has provided to our family.

A home, and we could not be more thankful.

The Ronald McDonald House located in Columbus, Ohio will be adding more guest rooms, dining facilities, and community room – launching community campaign “A Million Reasons”

COLUMBUS, OHIO –October 1, 2021  – Since 1982, the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus, Ohio has provided one million nights of rest for families of seriously ill, hospitalized children. In order to serve even more families at the House, RMHC of Central Ohio has embarked on the largest expansion project in our history – a transformational campaign to provide a million more nights of rest for families when they need it most. This project will include:

• An additional 80 guest rooms to accommodate more families
• New community rooms, expanded kitchen and dining, and green space for families
• Necessary renovations to the existing structure

With the expansion RMHC will be equipped to serve an additional 2,000 families each year, increasing the families served annually to 6,500. Without the services RMHC provides, the families who rely on RMHC for housing and food will be forced to pay an average of $100 a night for local accommodations as well as an average of $20 per person, per day, to feed three meals. Therefore, the total annual savings to families after the expansion will be approximately $14,200,000.

“We are thrilled to embark on this new project and work with our community for A Million Reasons,” said Dee Anders, CEO and Executive Director for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. “This expansion will allow us to make a difference in the lives of so many more children and families, and we sincerely appreciate the support of our community. Without the generosity of Columbus and the Central Ohio region, we would not be able to accomplish this exciting growth.”

When a child is sick and needs specialty care in a hospital, the Ronald McDonald House is there to help keep families close. Located directly across the street from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus, Ohio is one of the largest of its kind in the world. In fact, over 82,000 nights of rest are provided every year through the program.

Doctors and nurses take care of patients – RMHC takes care of the family. If it weren’t for the Ronald McDonald House and the services provided by the tireless staff and volunteers, many families would simply not be able to afford the necessary care for their children.

RMHC of Central Ohio currently serves more than 4,500 families annually whose children are treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, OhioHealth, Mount Carmel Health Systems, and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. As those tremendous hospital systems grow, so the need at RMHC grows. RMHC of Central Ohio is kicking off a Community Campaign titled A Million Reasons. The charity has provided about one million nights at the Ronald McDonald House since opening in 1982, and is expanding to continue to provide that service for the many families who need it. The Community Campaign is aiming to raise one million dollars of community support. Visit the Ronald McDonald House Community Campaign website: www.RMHC-CentralOhio.org/AMillionReasons

When 14-year-old Bella Harris held a donation drive for snack packs in her Lewis Center neighborhood, she had no idea the amount of support she would get from the entire community, along with the help of her Girl Scouts troop too! Click the image above to watch & listen to her describe how she came up with the idea and thank those who helped bring in 3-car loads of snack packs and other necessities for families staying with us.

When the year comes to a close, often times people and businesses are looking for tax deductions. One of our board members made an excellent suggestion in a recent Fleet Management Weekly article. You might be asking, “What does fleet management have to do with keeping families together as their child gets medical attention?” Read the article at the link below and share the article with those you know who are in charge of fleet vehicles. A donation of a car, truck, tractor, motorcycle, boat, etc. could provide nights of rest for our families.

https://www.fleetmanagementweekly.com/put-your-idle-or-underutilized-vehicle-assets-to-work-and-change-lives/