By Rick Shepherd, Communications Manager, RMHC of Central Ohio

Some may not be aware that we are required by Nationwide Children’s Hospital to have staff members, not volunteers, welcome families and family members to our Ronald McDonald Family Room in the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion. That’s why many of us who wear different hats professionally with our chapter, can often be found greeting folks to our room in the BHP.

I just wanted to share a short chat I had with the grandma of a patient being cared for here in the BHP, where I’m working today. When checking her in to our family room, she said she was from nearby Pickerington, Ohio and she’s been here to the room several times over that past several weeks, but the patient is being released and she would be headed home today…except that now, a hurricane is probably destroying her house as we speak. She further explained, with tears in her eyes, she’s the patient’s grandma from Florida and she’s actually been staying with the patient’s parent’s home in Pickerington to support them and her grandchild during this tough mental health crisis for the family. However, she actually lives in Punta Gorda, Florida where Hurricane Ian – a category 4 storm at the moment and one of the worst in a hundred years to hit the area – is currently baring down. She tells me she may not have a house to go home to now and feels fortunate to be staying with family up here a little longer, until the storm passes and she can return to assess the damage. There have been more than a few families here today in the sitting area watching The Weather Channel coverage of the storm with great concern for those they know there.

It’s a good reminder of the additional stressors, unrelated to their medical journey here, that can be playing a part in the lives of the families we’re caring for when they’re in our House or one of our family rooms. We here at RMHC of Central Ohio are also thinking of our volunteers and “extended work family” here who may be in Florida, have homes there, or who themselves have family members there as well as all of the RMHC chapters in Florida – especially along the west coast – who are facing quite a stress-test right now themselves. Here’s hoping everyone who lives in Florida is staying safe and has the best possible outcome.

We’re so proud of our volunteers and have been recognizing many over this National Volunteer Appreciation Month. As the month comes to a close, we want to show appreciation for a volunteer who became a staff member. Lulani Gaulberto celebrated her first year last week as the Executive Assistant for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio and today, National Administrative Professionals Day, we celebrate her! In addition to the duties you might expect of someone in her position, Lulani also organizes our chapter’s Round-Up for RMHC recognition program, putting together gift bags for crews working at are McDonald’s as recognition for asking customers to round-up their payment to support our chapter. When Lulani transitioned from regularly scheduled go-getter volunteer to one of the most integral staff members of this growing charity, she took a moment to answer a few questions about herself for a blog post. Here’s a re-publishing of that Q&A:

Q: How did you first come into the RMHC of Central OH community?

A: I started volunteering in 2017 when I was in a work transition.  I chose Mondays so that I could start my week on a good note!

Q: What has been your position lately and what kinds of projects have you been working on?

A: In the past year, I’ve been a Volunteer Coordinator helping prepare & serve meals, receive donations; helped in Development by putting together Auction packages and assist with the Bake Sale; I’ve had some shifts staffing the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at the OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Big Lot’s Behavioral Health Pavilion; and I’ve worked two shifts as a Family Service Manager.

Q: Has there been a moment, since you’ve been with the House, that particularly touched you? Perhaps a moment involving one of our families or being at an event where you really felt you were part of something special?

A: I’ve had numerous moments but the most recent was when I was checking in a family from Kentucky. They had just arrived and she was very concerned about her granddaughter. She had not gotten any rest or sleep or a meal. I got her checked in and was giving her the details about the room, meals, their stay and then I told her that if she needed anything else, all she had to do was ask.  I told her I would pack up  dinner for her daughter and herself and gave her one of our Thirty-One Gifts welcome bags and she burst into tears. I nearly burst out crying myself but pulled it back in.  I saw them a few days later when I came in to volunteer and she and her daughter looked rested and found out that the patient was doing well. How much better can it get?

Q: What are you looking forward to in your new position?

I look forward to contributing to all the House activities – raising money, fostering/planning/organizing/recognizing the amazing job that the McDonald’s restaurants are doing in their Round-Up campaign,  supporting Dee Anders (our CEO) so she can do her thing, and being part of this growing chapter!

Joel Oney, Vice President of Agribusiness Lending Management at Heartland Bank, Brutus the Buckeye, Dr. Cathann Kress, Dean of CFAES at OSU, and Wyatt Osborn, the Dean’s 4-H Member teammate pose for a photo at the Inaugural Dean’s Charity Steer Show for RMHC of Central Ohio. [Photo: Heartland Bank/Facebook]

Congratulations to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio board of trustees member, Dr. Cathann A. Kress for her election to chair of the board at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan. Kress is vice president for agricultural administration and dean of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. She was Outstanding Community Supporter of the year for RMHC of Central Ohio in 2019 and hosted the Dean’s Charity Steer Show in 2018, raising more than $150,000 to help keep families near their hospitalized children in Columbus.

“I’m deeply honored to take on this role of stewarding Mr. Kellogg’s legacy and his unwavering belief in people’s ability to solve the most pressing challenges facing children and families in their communities,” said Kress upon her election as chair of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Kress has been a board member of the Foundation since 2016. WKKF works across the country and internationally to help children facing difficult situations reach their full potential.

Incidentally, as part of a multi-year initiative, Kellogg’s Away From Home program has generously donated cereal trees and Kellogg’s cereal cups to more than 140 local Ronald McDonald House programs across the U.S., including ours. This evergreen program helps to ensure that families staying at local Ronald McDonald House programs have delicious grab-and-go breakfast options as they manage busy treatment schedules.

Fran Green recently celebrated her 6th year anniversary as a volunteer who helps families make banners. We interviewed her for a vlog post to celebrate her August anniversary. The story caught the attention of NBC4’s Audrey Hasson, who spotlighted her in a recent report. Click the image above to watch this feature report focusing on Fran’s dedication to help families.

Fran Green has been a family activities volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House for six years. She helps families string together pieces of construction paper and foam that are cut-out shapes and characters with letters to form a banner for their room, the patient’s hospital room, or for a sibling back home. She tells us about her experience and the gratification she gets helping families be creative during a difficult medical situation with their children. At the end of the video, she gets a big surprise! You can see the creations from many families on her Facebook page, facebook.com/funwithfran. Watch the video below.

By Dale Mittler

I began volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in 2015 as a “go-getter.” We go-getters complete all kinds of tasks to help keep the House in good order: clean and restock guest rooms, wash/dry/deliver to housekeeping rooms laundry (sheets, towels, comforters, etc.), empty trash, and clean “common” rooms such as the library, exercise room, and the princess and Lego rooms.

Because of the diversity of duties, I rarely ever have two volunteer shifts that are the same. And I really enjoy meeting and interacting with the staff of the House, especially the volunteer coordinators and the family services managers. Everyone is always so very appreciative of the time that we volunteers give to help out around the House.

Volunteers are always encouraged to take one or more breaks during their four-hour shift. Several years ago, I sat down with some kids in the dining room to color and explain to them what I do as a volunteer. Not only was it a nice change from my regular volunteer duties, I was able to meet and connect with several families who were dealing with the stress of having a child in the hospital. Providing a small diversion by sitting down and coloring with their kids enabled me in a small way to help carry out the mission of the Ronald McDonald House.

Bryana Wallace is an Ohio University student who, along with a other student leaders, will be working to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities during the annual Bobcathon dance marathon on the university’s campus. This group of students also raise funds every month during the school year, leading right up to the big dance. Click here to learn more about Bobcathon.

We asked Bryana to tell us a little bit about how she came to be in a leadership position with Bobcathon, and this was her response:

“In August of 2019, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I received treatment at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and after certain treatments, my family and I would head over to the Ronald McDonald House knowing that I would have a reaction to a certain medicine they gave me, which in turn sent me back over to Children’s. Although I did not stay but one time, I received nothing but the best care and everyone at the house was so nice. Not to long after I was told I was Cancer free in November, Bobcathon members had asked if I wanted to come and share my story. After speaking at the dance marathon, I knew it was something I wanted to join in college. Although I just graduated high school, I will be going into college as a sophomore and part of the Planning team as the director of fundraising for Bobcathon. I am excited to raise money for the children and for the House because they helped me in more ways than one when I was going through treatments.” – Bryana Wallace

NBC4’s Matt Barnes featured Bryana in a story during the Memorial Tournament last week. Click the image below to see the story about how Bryana became one of ten Patient Champions at this major international golf event in Central Ohio.

Congratulations to Lulani Gaulberto, our new Executive Assistant here at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. Lulani is from Pickerington and was a volunteer at the House before becoming a Volunteer Coordinator and has helped the development team on several occasions organizing auction items. Happy Administrative Professionals Day, Lulani! We did a quick Q&A with Lulani today and she was gracious to answer our questions so the community can get to know her.  [Photo credit: Lulani Gaulberto/Facebook]

Q: How did you first come into the RMHC of Central OH community?

A: I started volunteering in 2017 when I was in a work transition.  I chose Mondays so that I could start my week on a good note!

Q: What has been your position lately and what kinds of projects have you been working on?

A: In the past year, I’ve been a Volunteer Coordinator helping prepare & serve meals, receive donations; helped in Development by putting together Auction packages and assist with the Bake Sale; I’ve had some shifts staffing the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at the OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Big Lot’s Behavioral Health Pavilion; and I’ve worked two shifts as a Family Service Manager.

Q: Has there been a moment, since you’ve been with the House, that particularly touched you? Perhaps a moment involving one of our families or being at an event where you really felt you were part of something special?

A: I’ve had numerous moments but the most recent was when I was checking in a family from Kentucky. They had just arrived and she was very concerned about her granddaughter. She had not gotten any rest or sleep or a meal. I got her checked in and was giving her the details about the room, meals, their stay and then I told her that if she needed anything else, all she had to do was ask.  I told her I would pack up  dinner for her daughter and herself and gave her one of our Thirty-One Gifts welcome bags and she burst into tears. I nearly burst out crying myself but pulled it back in.  I saw them a few days later when I came in to volunteer and she and her daughter looked rested and found out that the patient was doing well. How much better can it get?

Q: What are you looking forward to in your new position?

I look forward to contributing to all the House activities – raising money, fostering/planning/organizing/recognizing the amazing job that the McDonald’s restaurants are doing in their Round-Up campaign,  supporting Dee Anders (our CEO) so she can do her thing, and being part of this growing chapter!

By Emily Hansel

Kimberly is one of the many hardworking ‘Go-Getter’ volunteers here at Ronald McDonald House Charities. She has been volunteering at the house for a little over a year by, “doing just about whatever needs to be done,” she said. Kimberly and the other ‘Go-Getter’ volunteers help put sheets on beds, restock towels in the linen closet, do laundry, unpack boxes, clean out closets, take out trash, and anything else to help prepare rooms for families to stay in.

She first got started in volunteering at The Ronald McDonald House through a connection with her grandson, William who is currently being treated for cancer at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. She explained that each time William has had to get treatment in Vancouver, they stay at the Ronald McDonald House and it has impacted their family greatly. However, in this past year, visiting her grandson was no longer an option due to the global pandemic. Wanting to stay connected to him, she decided to volunteer at RMHC in Columbus, Ohio. “It was very important to do something for me to feel connected to him while he was going through his treatment, so I came here for that connection.”

Kimberly shared that through her daughter, the mom of William, she has seen the weight of what it’s like to have a sick child. Her daughter’s focus has had to completely become the health and well-being of her child’s life. However, with RMHC help, some of this weight has been lifted off her shoulders and has allowed her to just be there for her child when he needs her the most. Kimberly explained that this why she continues to volunteer each week––that she is helping make families lives easier. “Everything I do here, however small, makes a family’s life easier and this is a time in their lives that they really need easy.” Kimberly hopes to continue to volunteer RMHC and help families in any way she can.

Donna Miller started a volunteer meal group from Community of Christ Church in Grove City after she was invited to come see the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus by a friend who was already volunteering at the House. That was over a decade ago and the group has continued to come, even during the pandemic, just in smaller groups instead of as a large group.This is Donna’s experience as a meal group organizer in her own words.