Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is offering a powerful glimpse of its mission in a documentary-style summer fundraising video.
Titled, Olivia's Heart Dances, the five-minute narrative tells the story of the Donnelly family, who frequently stayed at the RMHC while daughter Olivia received treatment for her heart condition.
“(The Donnellys) met others who had to be strong for their children,” the narrator says. “It felt like having a second family in a place of love. It felt a lot like home.”
Meet the Donnelly family and their daughter Olivia.
Ronald McDonald House Charities summer fundraiser
Besides highlighting the support that RMCH offers to the families of children receiving medical treatment, Olivia's Heart Dances underscores the importance of RMHC’s current summer fundraiser.
Running through September 10, the event gives donors a chance to help families stay together at one of five locations operated by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana, including the facility at 211 E. Grand Ave.
Olivia Donnelly has always been a dancer, even before she was born.
The Streeterville Ronald McDonald House provides overnight living quarters, activities and up to 162 combined meals per day. It is complemented by three Ronald McDonald Living Rooms located within specific hospitals and two fully-equipped mobile medical clinics known as Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles.
Although recent unrest on the Magnificent Mile inflicted minor damage to the house's front door, it did not disrupt any of its caregiving operations.
“The families were not affected by the incidents as they were taking place,” said Vice President of Marketing and Communications Ruth-Anne Renaud. “But to know that that civil unrest took place and our house ended up being impacted, we take very seriously because we look to provide a home away from home for our families.”
Since then, Renaud has been encouraged by the support that the Ronald McDonald House has received from the residents and businesses of Streeterville. “The community is coming together, and that’s a beautiful powerful thing,” she said.
To learn more about the RMHC Summer Fundraiser, click here.
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