Today was April Fool’s Day. But not many were in a joking mood this year. This pandemic has put everyone on edge. Yet everywhere, we do see reasons to smile. Today, our events associate, Anna Baich, sent out a letter to groups of women who are the backbone of our giving communities in Central Ohio and beyond. These are women who are always there when we need them. Volunteering at special events. Baking for our longest-running event, the bake sale. Attending our fundraisers throughout the year. Two of which, Handbag HULLABALOO!™ Dublin & Powell, needed to be postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Even though we cant have social gatherings to raise money for our Ronald McDonald House due to social distancing, we’re still determined to support those families that still need to be here in Columbus because a little one needs to be at a Columbus hospital…even during a pandemic. Here’s the letter from Anna. It starts with a thank you postcard from one of our grateful families.
This group of women I am emailing now collectively raised over $366,000 for RMHC families in 2019 (at our women-focused fundraising events). Why? Because you each care about something greater than yourself. You believe in helping fellow moms, dads, brothers and sisters, whose faces you will never see, whose hands you will never shake, but whose hearts you did touch. We don’t get to choose when our child gets sick or when we will need help from others. But we do get to choose what we do when faced with a need in front of us. Thank you for becoming an army who kept our doors open for critically ill children and their families last year.
This year, our families’ burdens have only snowballed. With the current COVID-19 pandemic and economic conditions, many families we serve have suffered from recent job loss, a lack of insurance benefits, and wavering financial security. Not to mention the pre-existing worry over medical decisions, mounting medical bills and strain from distant support systems.
Just like a family, RMHC is nothing without those who support us when we need it most. The Columbus Ronald McDonald House is, and always will be, committed to providing a steadfast source of hope for families. And our RMHC family is only strong because of the people who are a part of it.
Please consider sharing this link to your social media to spread our COVID-19 Response Fund. The women included here have more influence over our city than any of us can conceive.
We are thankful for you!
Anna Baich