Hello Davis Scholars:Our group has decided to join forces with the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the children’s hospital in Valhalla. We are working together in helping to reestablish the facility that was destroyed in 2004. It had been located on the 3rd floor of the children’s hospital, but due to a burst pipe, the facility was destroyed. Now, they are in the process of building a new site which will be situated next to the Maria Ferari Children’s hospital and will be able to help families who are going through the devastating reality of having an ill child.On October 20, we me with the directors of the family room, Marielena, and Karen, and discussed our positions as volunteers. Our preconceived notion was that we would be working “hands-on” with children. That is how our group came together to begin with. We all had a desire to concentrate on a program which centered upon children. When we heard we would assist in the reestablishment, we were hesitant, but then gave the matter more thought. The severity of the chance to be a part of something as special as this organization, and watching it being built from the ground up is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We all decided we had to take on this project and are very excited by the future prospects of such an endeavor.Our weekly volunteer service consists of mainly clerical work such as designing pamphlets, composing thank you letters, and mailings. The wonderful thing about this opportunity is the chance we have in connecting with our advisors, and interacting with numerous enthusiastic volunteers. We have all adjusted well to the clerical aspect of the job and are happy to soon assume further responsibilities. For example, a presentation needs to be drawn up (through the means of power point) for the board to see the progression and future plans for the facility. Karen has informed us that we will oversee this project and be involved in the execution of the presentation. In the spring, there is a golf outing which has already begun to be planned as volunteers are a necessity in success. Also, we are going to donate our time at local McDonald Restaurants selling bracelets which will benefit the family room.On December 5, 2009, The Ronald McDonald Organization sponsored a Home for the Holidays Fundraiser. This event was an all day “Extravaganza” that featured local dance troops from all over the area who performed for an eager audience. Ronald McDonald made a surprise visit as well as the Rockettes who came to the event for a meet and greet. Local merchants graciously donated gorgeous gift baskets varying in content. These were the centerpieces of the raffle. Participants were granted the chance to donate to a wonderful cause and possibly win an extravagant prize! We are elated to say that the event was a success and helped pave the way toward the reestablishment of the Family Room. In hopes of spreading the word regarding this organization, we invited Ernie, a reporter from WCC school newspaper, The Viking to attend the event on December 5th. She interviewed the executive director, Marielena and has composed a wonderful article that will run in the January issue of the paper. She concentrates not just on the event, but the need for further assistance in a way that is unassuming. We are also happy to say that she was also the proud recipient of a gift basket! We were involved from start to finish on this enormous task. On Friday, December 4, we assisted in setting up the event which lasted from 12:30-7pm. We set up tables, organized baskets, sorted raffles, decorated the room, and arranged pamphlets. On Saturday, the event progressed from 10am -8pm. As volunteers we greeted people, assisted with the Girl Scout Bake Sale, directed the dance troops, and helped confused individuals sort through the numerous gift baskets. We also acted as floaters, standing in for anyone who needed a break or another activity to attend to. On Sunday, we cleaned the banquet room, called the winners of the baskets, and stored the remaining baskets in the storage room. In total, we devoted 30 hours of volunteer service that one weekend! We were excited, amazed, and exhausted!This project allows for us to see a world we were unaware of, which consist of a foundation which functions by means of donations from generous volunteers. We did not realize that the Family Room solely functioned under these circumstances. The beautiful thing is the amount of people who offer to donate time, cash, or items. We get the chance to interact with these people and truly see humanity in the faces of ordinary, everyday people. Our overall goal is to continue collaborating with the organization until the conclusion of the spring semester, attend the grand reopening in October 2010, and come visit the new global scholars for the 2010-2011 school year to inform them of our knowledge. We all agree that we do not want to end here; we would love for this relationship to prosper between the Family room and the scholars. By telling our story and experience, we hope to motivate new members to work with the Ronald McDonald Family Room and assist families hands on. We are laying the foundation, we want to see it rise to the top, and thrive under the assistance of present and future Kathryn Davis Global Scholars. This is our mission statement. Warm Regards,Gift, Jessica, Karonlay, and Danielle
|