Reno has been blessed with an organization that has long helped the families of children who suffer from medical conditions. Next week they’ll be marking 30 years of service. In a quiet tree-lined neighborhood just east of Renown Health hospital, sits a beacon of hope. Reno Ronald McDonald House executive director Marty Ozer calls it, "Home away from home, for families with sick children in the hospital."
Next Wednesday August 2nd will be a McHappy 30th anniversary for the little house on Maine Street. As Marty Ozer told us, It was bare bones in 1987, with a tiny budget for staff: "One weekend a month, they had to come here and live here because they couldn't afford to have an overnight staff for the weekend."
Today, the house is clean, quiet, warm…homey. Just what families of critically ill children need. Ozer says, "Some of the situations we deal with, it's touch and go whether the child will make it or not. If the child's family's close by, the rate of recovery is greater." Marketing Director Rachel Gattuso adds, "It's really valuable for the families to have this debrief, recuperation space."
The Reno Ronald McDonald house has 12 bedrooms, a full kitchen and rooms full of games and movies for the kids where families that are traumatized can meet with others in the same situation, take a deep breath and relax. Gattuso tells us, "They do get a...at least that's what they tell us, they get a good night's sleep."
The photo album and walls are full of memories. 30 years of comfort, homemade meals, quiet times and love from new friends and support from staff. Many stayover moms and dads created drawings of what family togetherness means to them...pictures that will soon be sold to raise funds for the house. As Ozer put it, "If I'm not having a good day in the morning, I come in here and see what people are dealing with. And I say to myself, "'you've never had a bad day in your life.'" More than our words can, the pictures show what this house is all about. It's that the best medicine of all, is having mom and dad by your side.
The Reno Ronald McDonald House invites you to a free open house to celebrate their 30 years of service next Wednesday August 2nd with tours, a free barbecue lunch and raffle prizes. Click below for all the details:
