The following letter was passed on to all presidents and secretaries in our District
First and foremost let me introduce myself. I am the Office Manager for the McDonald’s Restaurants in Dunedin & Southland. I have been a volunteer for the Charity for almost 20 years and during that time have helped raise over 1,500,000.
On 16 December we are launching a campaign called Pick up the Tab. It cost RMHC New Zealand over $150 to provide one night’s accommodation for local families. Our staff are taking on the ambitious goal of raising $54,750 to Pick up the Tab for an entire year so local families can stay, for FREE, in a Ronald McDonald House. Having been a member of the Taieri Rotary Club I know that you are always looking for guest speakers. The families associated with our campaign is the Vernal Family, from Dunedin, who have spent over 140 nights at a Ronald McDonald House and the Davies Family, from Tapanui, who have spent over 490 nights at a Ronald McDonald House. Kathryn Vernal and Sarah Davies would love the opportunity to share their stores with the members of the various clubs in their regions.
Both families have a unique and compelling story to tell. Our hope is that after hearing their stories Rotary maybe be able to help Pick up the Tab for a night, week or maybe even a month to give families with a child in hospital what they need most – each other.
Thank you for your time. Please pass on my contact details to the secretaries who can contact me if this is something they would like to be involved in.
Kind regards
Annemarie Jorissen
Ambassador for RMHC New Zealand
021 712 501