Rotary Interact Club of J. Percy Page High School Provides the “Meals That Mend” Dinner for Ronald McDonald House
The Rotary Interact Club of J. Percy Page High School visited Ronald McDonald House (RMH) on Thursday December 6, 2018. They provided the groceries, prepared and served dinner for an Italian Feast featuring a lasagna dinner for 100 people, while spreading holiday cheer to all. They also did some house chores, and cleaned up, including preparing dinner packages for families returning later in the evening from the hospitals.
The Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona provided the groceries and the drivers to transport the Interactors to RMH and back to the school. Thanks to our drivers Hans Granholm, Ken Germain, Dennis Freeman and Vince Campbell. Also a special thankyou to our great Percy Page school teachers with our Rotary Interact Club, Karen Huculak and Taso Garanis ,who were out in full force for the evening.
RMH has 35 family rooms that are always full, with a waiting list, for sick children from across Canada who are receiving treatments from the excellent children’s hospital services in Edmonton. Year to date for 2018, 360 families have stayed at RMH with up to 5 family members in a room. The average stay is 26 to 32 days, with over 11,000 individual family member overnight stay days in 2018, with the better part of December to go. The cross section of families at RMH illustrates that a full spectrum of Canadians from every background, require access to a home away from home for sick children and their families. The staff and volunteers at RMH are a pleasure to work with, including Matt Mang, Executive Chef & Meals Coordinator.
A special Christmas initiative from Karen Germain and her Royal Alex nursing school friends provided a large basket of children’s hats, toques, mitts, and socks for the RMH children, that we delivered on the day. It was very gratefully and well received, and will find their way into some special Christmas stockings that are hanging on the RMH fireplace in hopes that Santa will visit.
As Matt Mang said, so many families appreciate coming home from the hospital to a nice dinner, without the hassle of picking up groceries and preparing dinner, but instead enjoying a nice prepared dinner and family time with loved ones. Nice touch, and very much in line with our Rotary Interact Club motto of making our school, our community, and our world a better place, while having fun and making friends.
Warmest regards on a cold winter night,
Eric Germain
Rotary Interact Club Advisor