Families, volunteers, staff, board members and partners that make up the community that is Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio gathered last Thursday to break ground for the expansion of the Ronald McDonald House, taking up almost the entire city block on which it sits, south of Livingston Avenue. It was a special day that shined despite the threat of rain, which never came. Instead, their were smiling faces, a particularly famous clown, dignitaries and even the NACHO Street Band, made up mostly of Nationwide Children’s Hospital employees) with a song arranged just for our House that made the day more than bright. During the addresses to those gathered, it was revealed by Tom Feeney, chair of the Combined Campaign Committee, that the projected cost of the addition was going to cost five million dollars more that the original estimate of $37 million. He says, like so many other cost increases, this is due to rising prices related to the pandemic. Fortunately, our board president Bruce Burkholder and CEO Dee Anders have been able to find government grants and funding to make up most of the difference. But RMHC of Central Ohio still needs your help to cross the finish line. Click here to see our campaign this year that has A Million Reasons why we need to grow and, with your help, will be able to complete the project and provide 2,000 more nights of rest a year for families.
Click the image below to watch a video of the special day. Thanks, again, to everyone who came to celebrate with us!
Here’s NBC4’s coverage of this special event: