Keeping Families Together, Helping Children Heal
Imagine, your child is seriously ill and the closest hospital is more than 100 miles away. Nothing is more frightening to a child than not having their parents' love and support. Do you leave a child to go home, stay in the hospital room, or live in the closest hotel? In most cases, there a Ronald McDonald House or a Ronald McDonald Family Room program in the area.
For 40 years, RMHC® has been making children happier and healthier by keeping families together – giving them a place to rest and refresh; a place that feels like home through the Ronald McDonald House program. There are over 100 Houses in the United States and each House is tailored to meet the specific needs of its community. For example, the local Chapter in the greater Chicago area has expanded its Ronald McDonald House programs to meet the growing demand for services. These Houses need ongoing support from donors and volunteers to allow them to offer compassionate care and hospitality to guest families in a warm and inviting environment. Serving as a "home away from home", each House provides a private room and bathroom for each family, as well as communal kitchens and family areas.
Corian® Quartz and the RMHC® relationship stemmed from an existing partnership with McDonald’s restaurants in the United States and Canada. Corian® Quartz together with Corian® Solid Surface have been and remain the preferred surfaces for McDonald’s restaurants. In 1989, Corian® Design was asked to participate in a Supplier Tradeshow where RMHC® was introduced to the tradeshow attendees.
Over time, Corian® Design has been an integral part of delivering care and comfort to families served by RMHC® through yearly donations of materials being provided to new construction and renovations. These donations allow the local RMHC® Chapter to allocate resources to other important areas, such as toys for the children, food for the house, etc. Local fabricators also volunteer their time and skillset to install Corian® Quartz and Corian® Solid Surface in their local Ronald McDonald House. In addition to donating to new facilities, Corian® Design also participated in renovating existing homes, usually once per decade for each location - 40 Ronald McDonald House programs were renovated in 2012 alone to help more families have the comforts of home during difficult times.
There are many reasons the Corian® Design and RMHC® relationship began, but why has the relationship lasted so long? Corian® Quartz and Corian® Solid Surface are durable and functional solutions for heavy traffic areas. You will most likely find Corian® Design products in “the heart of the house” - the kitchen. Instead of hospital cafeterias or take-out, often volunteers come in and cook hot meals so the families are able to gather and eat together away from the stress and strain of the hospital. Corian® Quartz and Corian® Solid Surface are nonporous and, when properly cleaned, do not promote the growth of mold, mildew or bacteria.
Corian® Design continues to become more integrated with the goals of the Charity. What began as an informal contact is now a long-standing relationship that benefits families from Chicago, IL, to Buffalo, NY, to Hersey, PA. With a great deal of collaboration, Corian® Design is no longer helping strangers, but helping their extended family.
