giving back through volunteerism
I called it the ‘McDonald’s Hotel.’ To me, it was the coolest place on Earth. It had a fun playhouse with so many toys, an elevator to ride and lots of nice people always asking about my baby sister, Maddie (pictured below at the Ronald McDonald in Louisville back in 1996). She was born with Spina Bifida in 1993. And by the time she was in her teens, she had 18 surgeries. Many of these surgeries were in her first few years of life to fix her feet and hips so she could walk and others to keep fluid off her brain.
The hospital (formerly known as Kosair Children’s Hospital) was nearly a 4-hour drive from home – and without the Ronald McDonald House, my family's debt and stress would have piled on. I was only 5 years old the first time I stayed at the House in Louisville for about a month over the summer, so my perspective is much different than my mother’s. I was excited to go to the House, whereas my mom was anxious because it meant her baby was having another surgery. However, her nerves were solely focused on her child – because we all had a nice place to sleep, play and eat just minutes from the hospital. That’s priceless and a blessing – and unless you’ve been in these shoes, you don’t truly understand the gravity of what the House gives families like mine.
I share my story as a sibling who stayed at the House multiple times and recognized at a very young age just how magical it was. It truly was a home away from home for our family – providing comfort during some of the most difficult years of my baby sister’s life. How do you thank an organization for something like that?
I volunteer now at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. I vowed that if I ever lived in a city with a House I would get involved. And that’s what I did the month I moved to Charlotte in 2017. Giving back to an organization that has given my family so much is an honor.
Now, as a volunteer, I get to witness what this organization gives to other families. And I know they agree there’s no place like home – except the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.
-- Jerrika Swartz
Jerrika serves on the RMH Storytelling Committee and is a House Operations Volunteer.
Have an RMH story to tell? Send to kristin@rmhofcharlotte.org.
The hospital (formerly known as Kosair Children’s Hospital) was nearly a 4-hour drive from home – and without the Ronald McDonald House, my family's debt and stress would have piled on. I was only 5 years old the first time I stayed at the House in Louisville for about a month over the summer, so my perspective is much different than my mother’s. I was excited to go to the House, whereas my mom was anxious because it meant her baby was having another surgery. However, her nerves were solely focused on her child – because we all had a nice place to sleep, play and eat just minutes from the hospital. That’s priceless and a blessing – and unless you’ve been in these shoes, you don’t truly understand the gravity of what the House gives families like mine.
I share my story as a sibling who stayed at the House multiple times and recognized at a very young age just how magical it was. It truly was a home away from home for our family – providing comfort during some of the most difficult years of my baby sister’s life. How do you thank an organization for something like that?
I volunteer now at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. I vowed that if I ever lived in a city with a House I would get involved. And that’s what I did the month I moved to Charlotte in 2017. Giving back to an organization that has given my family so much is an honor.
Now, as a volunteer, I get to witness what this organization gives to other families. And I know they agree there’s no place like home – except the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.
-- Jerrika Swartz
Jerrika serves on the RMH Storytelling Committee and is a House Operations Volunteer.
Have an RMH story to tell? Send to kristin@rmhofcharlotte.org.