The House That Love Built

“The House that Love Built”

The Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan
Their mission is to provide a “home away from home” for families of children and youth
seeking medical treatment.

As I write this post I am sitting on the front porch of The Ronald McDonald House. It’s a beautiful warm summer night in Michigan, I am feeling extremely relaxed and blessed that I am able to spend the last week of Hailey’s Conductive Education session with her. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this trip a reality. We are very proud of Hailey for all of the hard work that she is doing, and the progress she is making.

This is the house where families meet
to continue their lives, to eat and sleep.
to find their strengths and dry their tears,
to look forward with hope to better years.

Bricks and mortar seldom reflect the true nature of a house. For that transforms a house and makes it a true home, it is not the structure itself, but the love and resilience of the family who finds comfort within. The staff and volunteers here are some of the kindest people I have ever met. Their compassion is genuine and they are happy to help in any way they can. Donated goods, services and volunteer assistance help keep expenses down. The house is extremely organized. It sits on 5 beautiful acres with a walking path, picnic tables, children’s playhouses. It has 17 bedrooms, a kitchen that has four kitchenettes, it has a recreation room, laundry room, dining room indoor play room and great room. I’m sure I have missed a few things. While we were there the house had many different donations of food. The Olive Garden brought food in one night, Starbucks contributes regularly as well as random outside contributions. They offer a shuttle service that can take you to Drs. appointments, to the Conductive Learning Center etc. One of my favorite things is when they bring in therapy dogs!
Occasionally we have thought about a therapy dog for Hailey, but only time will tell if she will benefit from one. In the mean time we can still appreciate and enjoy them. When you stay at the RMDH you get free passes to some of the local Museums, fitness centers and even a zoo.
The suggested contribution is $25 dollars a night , but no one in need is ever turned away because of an inability to pay. If you are considering sending your child to the Conductive Learning Center or if you have to travel a long distance to take care of your child’s illness, I would highly recommend staying at a Ronald McDonald House, currently there are 297 houses in 30 Countries and Regions.