In addition to the Fall frenzy that starts up with school getting back in session, sports ramping up, activities at church, school, and beyond that are now on our calendar after a break for the summer, I have been pouring my heart and time into this wonderful event that benefits an amazing charity. I am working with an incredible group of women to pull off what is no small feat. It goes well beyond event planning...we are all tapping into our friends, family, and resources to get amazing sponsors, characters that the kids will love, fun decorations, adorable t-shirts, delicious food, cute invitations & flyers printed, an incredible space, and fantastic raffle prizes & giveaways...and doing all of it on a budget that is minimal at best so that we can maximize our proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem.
What is the Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem? Well, I'm glad you asked:
"A "Home Away From Home"
The Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem provides a “home away from home” for families with children receiving treatment in our community’s medical facilities. Located steps away from Brenner Children’s Hospital, right down the road from Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, and close to other medical facilities, the House allows quick accessibility a child’s bedside. " - RMHWS.org
My family and I have been so very fortunate to live near the hospital in each city that we have called home. (This is mostly due to the fact that my husband is a physician and being near a hospital was critical if we ever wanted to lay eyes on him...especially during his residency years.) We have had five minor surgeries and one four-day hospitalization between our three children. We have never had to endure critical illnesses, life-changing diagnoses, or extended time spent in the hospital. I cannot even begin to imagine what those families go through...and for those who live far away, not having a "home" to go home to just to take a shower, take a break, get a warm homemade meal, and get a good night's sleep...or having to leave the city where their child is to go do those things, well, that would be devastating.
It is those families that make what we're doing so important and so worthwhile. I am not one to say "yes" to every volunteer opportunity that comes my way (although I still probably say it too much), and this call to co-chair the RMH Character Breakfast is one that my gut told me to immediately say "YES" to.
It is with a thankful and humble heart that I write this today because I sit here listening to all three of my children playing. They are healthy, happy, safe, and home. There are too many families who are not together today, and that gives me a physical ache in my chest. I cannot do much from where I sit right now to help make their pain any better and their struggle any easier, but I can do my part to support this "Home Away from Home."
I am asking now that you would do the same. Please consider attending the breakfast, purchasing a raffle ticket, or making a donation to the Ronald McDonald House and helping these families find a little piece of comfort here in Winston-Salem.
http://www.rmhws.org/event/character-breakfast/
Thank you.
