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Emily Roberts, right, got help from her sister Nicole and other family members who stayed at the Ronald McDonald House during her long ordeal.

Emily Roberts, right, got help from her sister Nicole and other family members who stayed at the Ronald McDonald House during her long ordeal.

Emily Roberts, then 18, needed a bone marrow transplant this summer to fight her leukemia. For the first 100 days after surgery, Emily’s doctors required her to remain within a 20-minute drive of Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Unfortunately, Emily and her mother, Tami Maine, live in Olean. That’s a 1 ½-hour drive from Roswell Park.
But thanks to donors like you, the Ronald McDonald House® of Buffalo was there for Emily and her mother.

Even under the best circumstances, the family couldn’t have afforded to stay in a hotel for 100 days, but making matters worse, Tami had to quit her job at a department store to care for her daughter. Emily was weak and needed her mother to help her with simple tasks such as walking, dressing herself and getting into bed.
“I could barely get my feet off the ground,” Emily said. “It was tough.”
She was grateful that her mother was able to stay with her at the Ronald McDonald House.
“When you’re sick, you just want your mom there,” Emily said. Other family members were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, too, which buoyed Emily’s spirits and helped give Tami a break.”

It wasn’t an easy 100 days. One complication of the transplant was graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), marked by constant vomiting. Emily wasn’t able to eat for 37 days– she needed a feeding tube to stay alive. To control the GVHD, she was given steroids, but the steroids caused situational diabetes. Emily was too shaky to inject her own insulin, so her mother had to do that for her. The steroids Emily needed to take caused her to puff up, resulting in stretch marks from her knees to her neck, which split open.

Throughout all of this, the Ronald McDonald House was there for Emily and her mother.
Because her immune system was suppressed, Emily needed to reduce her contact with germs that could trigger a deadly infection. Emily was given a room with a private bathroom that no one else entered. The staff moved out anything that could pose a problem, including plants and flowers. When she was able to eat, Emily had a special diet, and the staff made sure the right foods were available to her.

“Everything I needed was at the House,” Emily said.

“They went out of their way to help us, “Tami said.

Emily needed to go for clinic appointments not only at Roswell Park, but at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, too. Her medications changed frequently, so Tami had to make many trips to the pharmacy. The van at the Ronald McDonald House made sure they got where they needed to go.

“Some days Emily would spike a fever out of nowhere and we’d have to go to Roswell, ”Tami said. “They’d run us right over there. They were great.”

Instead of going home on the 100th day after surgery, Emily was rushed to Children’s Hospital because she couldn’t breathe. She remained in the hospital for almost a month, and Tami was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House.
Having a very sick child can separate you from friends who don’t understand what you’re going through, but things were different for Tami at the Ronald McDonald House.

“For the first time through this whole thing, I didn’t feel like I was by myself,” Tami said. “At the Ronald McDonald House, they understood what I was going through. If they didn’t understand, they tried to understand. If I needed somebody to talk to, there was always somebody there.”

This wasn’t the first time that Tami stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. The first time was when her oldest child, Dean was born prematurely. Now 26, he is a college graduate and served in the military. She never thought she would need the House again.

Tami and Emily are grateful that, thanks to generous donors like you, the House was here when they needed it.

Your gift helps us keep parents close to their sick children. Please give generously.
Please consider donating using one of the options below and help us make our house their home.

Donate Online

You may make a secure online donation using your Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card through PayPal.

Please note that once you have completed your online donation, you will be directed back to our site where an additional form will be presented for you to provide additional information about your donation if you wish.

 

Other Methods of Giving

A printable donation form is also available, or you may call our office at (716) 883-1177 to make a donation over the phone.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western New York is not a member of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, but may receive contributions through the United Way Donor Choice Program. The Charity also receives contributions through the State Employee Federated Appeal (SEFA) and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) programs. You can designate that all, or a portion, of your employee contribution to the United Way, SEFA or CFC come to RMHC.

Our Families Thank You!

Family Stories

The Roberts Family

Emily Roberts, right, got help from her sister Nicole and other family members who stayed at the Ronald McDonald House during her long ordeal.

Emily Roberts, then 18, needed a bone marrow transplant this summer to fight her leukemia. For the first 100 days after surgery, Emily’s doctors required her to remain within a 20-minute drive of Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Unfortunately, Emily and her mother, Tami Maine, live in Olean. That’s a 1 ½-hour drive from Roswell Park.
But thanks to donors like you, the Ronald McDonald House® of Buffalo was there for Emily and her mother.

Even under the best circumstances, the family couldn’t have afforded to stay in a hotel for 100 days, but making matters worse, Tami had to quit her job at a department store to care for her daughter. Emily was weak and needed her mother to help her with simple tasks such as walking, dressing herself and getting into bed.
“I could barely get my feet off the ground,” Emily said. “It was tough.”
She was grateful that her mother was able to stay with her at the Ronald McDonald House.
“When you’re sick, you just want your mom there,” Emily said. Other family members were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, too, which buoyed Emily’s spirits and helped give Tami a break.”

It wasn’t an easy 100 days. One complication of the transplant was graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), marked by constant vomiting. Emily wasn’t able to eat for 37 days– she needed a feeding tube to stay alive. To control the GVHD, she was given steroids, but the steroids caused situational diabetes. Emily was too shaky to inject her own insulin, so her mother had to do that for her. The steroids Emily needed to take caused her to puff up, resulting in stretch marks from her knees to her neck, which split open.

Emily enjoyed a quiet moment before starting treatment.

Throughout all of this, the Ronald McDonald House was there for Emily and her mother.
Because her immune system was suppressed, Emily needed to reduce her contact with germs that could trigger a deadly infection. Emily was given a room with a private bathroom that no one else entered. The staff moved out anything that could pose a problem, including plants and flowers. When she was able to eat, Emily had a special diet, and the staff made sure the right foods were available to her.

“Everything I needed was at the House,” Emily said.

“They went out of their way to help us, “Tami said.

Emily needed to go for clinic appointments not only at Roswell Park, but at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, too. Her medications changed frequently, so Tami had to make many trips to the pharmacy. The van at the Ronald McDonald House made sure they got where they needed to go.

“Some days Emily would spike a fever out of nowhere and we’d have to go to Roswell, ”Tami said. “They’d run us right over there. They were great.”

Instead of going home on the 100th day after surgery, Emily was rushed to Children’s Hospital because she couldn’t breathe. She remained in the hospital for almost a month, and Tami was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House.
Having a very sick child can separate you from friends who don’t understand what you’re going through, but things were different for Tami at the Ronald McDonald House.

“For the first time through this whole thing, I didn’t feel like I was by myself,” Tami said. “At the Ronald McDonald House, they understood what I was going through. If they didn’t understand, they tried to understand. If I needed somebody to talk to, there was always somebody there.”

This wasn’t the first time that Tami stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. The first time was when her oldest child, Dean was born prematurely. Now 26, he is a college graduate and served in the military. She never thought she would need the House again.

Tami and Emily are grateful that, thanks to generous donors like you, the House was here when they needed it.

Your gift helps us keep parents close to their sick children. Please give generously.
Please consider donating using one of the options below and help us make our house their home.

Donate Online

You may make a secure online donation using your Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card through PayPal.

Please note that once you have completed your online donation, you will be directed back to our site where an additional form will be presented for you to provide additional information about your donation if you wish.

 

Other Methods of Giving

A printable donation form is also available, or you may call our office at (716) 883-1177 to make a donation over the phone.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western New York is not a member of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, but may receive contributions through the United Way Donor Choice Program. The Charity also receives contributions through the State Employee Federated Appeal (SEFA) and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) programs. You can designate that all, or a portion, of your employee contribution to the United Way, SEFA or CFC come to RMHC.

Our Families Thank You!

Notes from Sally

Although we ask for a $15 contribution per family per night to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, no family is ever turned away because they can’t pay.

Unfortunately, more and more families are finding it difficult to make any donation toward their stay. Many families find themselves without health insurance, and many caregivers have to quit their jobs to care for their sick child. The increased cost of gas has made it more expensive to travel to and from Buffalo for recurring treatments.

Fortunately for families like that of Emily Roberts (see story on page 1), unwavering support by loyal donors have underwritten costs for Ronald McDonald House families. Some donors have organized fundraising events and others have increased their gift to help us meet this huge need. That’s such a relief for moms and dads who are already burdened with the stress of their child’s illness.

Special projects in 2012 made a difference, too. A simple power failure at the House could threaten not only the comfort, but the safety of guests at the house. Without power, essential fire, sprinkler, security and communication systems fail. Installation of an emergency natural gas generator was made possible with generous grants from The Western New York Foundation and The James H. Cummings Foundation, as well as a gift from Southwest Airlines Company.® Now families can depend on the Ronald McDonald House to provide a warm, comforting and safe environment regardless of the weather.

In 2013, we are celebrating 30 years of serving families—more than 18,000 families have stayed here in the past three decades! We invite you to help us celebrate throughout the year.
Consider running in the Annual 5K Race or playing golf in a tournament to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Western New York.

More important, we invite you to join us as a volunteer, a young professional or a donor. We know the need for the Ronald McDonald House is even greater in 2013 than it was in 1983. We need your support now and in the next 30 years so we can continue to fulfill our mission and provide a home-away-from-home.
Sally Vincent, Executive Director

Robin Thicke, R&B singer and songwriter, and his band laid down some smooth grooves at this year’s Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo Holiday Concert. This annual event, organized and presented by Rico Francani, pictured on the left, and the Employees of Derico of East Amherst, NY (McDonald’s), has raised a total of $234,500 for families! Companies in Western New York and McDonald’s owner/operators generously sponsor the event.

This year’s Thanksgiving dinner for families was created by Krista Van Wagner, right, and Kirk Van Wagner, center, of Curly’s Restaurant, Lackawanna, NY, along with their children. Each member of the Van Wagner family prepared his or her favorite dish for the Thanksgiving feast!

Ruben Brown, right, former Buffalo Bills player, and members of the Ruben Brown Foundation delivered holiday cheer to the Ronald McDonald House this year with their generous donation of items from the House’s wish list! Kitchen appliances, linens, cleaning supplies, toys and four new tires for the Ronald McDonald House van topped the list of items.

Thank you to golf chairs Chad Kaczmarek and Neil O’Donnell and the Southwest Airlines® Charity Golf Committee for their generous contribution of $10,000 from this year’s tournament! Southwest Airlines® volunteers maintain a Ronald McDonald House bedroom, prepare meals for families, donate Southwest’s “signature snacks” and stand ready to provide transportation to young patients and transportation for Ronald McDonald House conferences.

House Briefs

There are many ways you can help the House. We invite Western New York companies, organizations and community groups to support the Ronald McDonald House through donations of cash, products or services or by organizing a fundraising event.

Perhaps you can supply items from our Wish List, which can be seen at rmhcwny.org. Volunteers are always needed for our Cooks For Kids meal preparation program.

No matter how big or small your donation, your gift makes a real difference in the lives of our families!

Employees of Whiting Door Manufacturing Corporation, Akron, NY, held hot dog lunches, sold 50/50 split club tickets, and held dress-down days and other fundraisers. Whiting Door matched their employees’ efforts, and a total of $9,200 was generously donated for the redecoration of the Ronald McDonald House living room.

John Fiore lost his life on Feb. 12, 2009 aboard Flight 3407 that crashed in Clarence, NY. John always had a special place in his heart for children, and Ron Aughtmon, pictured on the left, organized a golf tournament in his uncle’s memory. The 2012 John J. Fiore Memorial Golf Tournament raised $13,000 for Ronald McDonald House families! This is the second year that the House has benefited.

The Buffalo Bills Women’s Association scored big with their donation of wish list items for families and the House: pots and pans, gift cards, a breast pump, strollers, iPod docks and numerous other items that filled several of their cars.

Do you realize that your support for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western New York can continue, even after your death, when you leave a gift in your will? Planned giving can make good financial sense for you, too. For instance, it may reduce the estate tax burden on your heirs. For more information, call your attorney, financial advisor or Sally Vincent, Executive Director, at (716) 883-1177.

Stony Brook Shines for Others and Friends of Stony Brook, Lancaster, NY generously donated $6,270 to Ronald McDonald House families! Jennifer Choman, event founder, annually organizes the residents of Stony Brook’s nine streets, who decorate their homes and turn their trees into a winter wonderland of white lights! Residents of the neighborhood, as well as visitors who come to see the Stony Brook light display and lawn decorations, contribute funds that are distributed to a local children’s charity.

Members of the Interior Design Association (IDA) volunteer their professional talent and experience to help redecorate and refurbish bedrooms and common areas at the Ronald McDonald House. You can get involved by donating funds to adopt a room. The IDA works with the donor and House staff to select a color scheme and room design within the budget donated for the project. In addition to their consulting role, the IDA raised funds to adopt and redecorate their own Ronald McDonald House bedroom seen above. At right, Michelle Peller White, coordinator of the project, makes herself comfortable in the newly redecorated living room. At center, John Spitzmiller, a volunteer, paints the living room. He is one of the many volunteers who generously donate thousands of hours of service to the operation of the Ronald McDonald House!

Volunteer Groups and Donations

ADP Day of Volunteering

2 Photos

Glaxo Smith Kline

3 Photos

Aktion Club of West Seneca

5 Photos

Thunder Herd Pots and Pans Donation

3 Photos

Girl Scout Troop 31073

4 Photos

Haley Murray Pull Tab Donation

2 Photos

McKinley High School

1 Photos

Volunteer Al Dittenhauser

8 Photos

Bill Corbett of Corbett Wood Turnings

2 Photos

Java Strykersville Kiwanis tour

2 Photos

Volunteer Elzabeth Weber making paella

2 Photos

Townline Lutheran Church

2 Photos

Guest Family Wittcop-Upton receiving Buffalo Bills tickets from a donation from the Otto Family

1 Photos

Lancaster High School Varsity Football

12 Photos

Time travelers donation of cases of water and snacks

2 Photos

Microsoft

3 Photos

St Francis of Assisi Confirmation Canidates

1 Photos

United Way Day of Caring - Harris Beach

9 Photos

Windham Pros donation of pots pans bakeware and frying pans garbage bags and paper towels

3 Photos

United Day of Caring - Ernst and Young

10 Photos

Clarence Youth Bureau

1 Photos

M&T Bank

1 Photos

Buffalo Bills Womens Association

14 Photos

Whiting Door Donation

1 Photos

Navy Week

41 Photos

Canisius Day of Caring

1 Photos

The  John J. Fiore Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo is August 17,2013. They are setting a goal to raise more than $15,000 for Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo.

The family and friends of John J. Fiore are hosting the Fourth Annual John J. Fiore Memorial Golf Tournament on Saturday, August 17th at 1pm at The Niagara County Golf Course in Lockport, NY. On February 12, 2009, John passed away on Flight 3407 in Clarence, New York. He dedicated his life to his family and his country, spending 30 years serving our country in both the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force. He fought for our freedom in Vietnam, Desert Storm and had 2 tours of duty in the Iraqi War. John retired from active duty in 2006 and was due to retire from his civilian career at Washington Mills in 2011. Our hero continues to be sorely missed.

The Robin Thicke Holiday Concert raised $35,000.!  Thank you to Enrico Francani, R.M.H. Holiday Concert organizer, and his Derico of East Amherst, Inc. Employees. Many special thanks to ALL our wonderful sponsors including Perla Gonzalez, McDonalds of WNY and NWPA, Cappellino, Alden State Bank, Stern, Lamar, Payroll Processing, LLC and Mulvey Construction Inc.

The Buffalo News music review by Joe Sweeney quote: “Singer seduces crowd with a soul-filled reverence for multiple music genres”. “Thicke and band lay down smooth grooves”.