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They’re pulling for Ronald McDonald
Albert Lea father Al Mullenbach looks at his three daughters, Jordan, 7, Jada, 9, Whitney, 8. Like many families who have been in the Ronald McDonald House, they save pop tabs to raise funds for the Rochester charity.
Tim Engstrom Stacey Bahr
By Tim Engstrom Will Schafer Mullenbach was born July 8, 2003, at the hospital in Albert Lea. He was a blue baby and doctors immediately diagnosed him as having transposition of the great arteries. He was flown by helicopter to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester. The boy’s parents, Al Mullenbach and Michelle Schafer, spent the next 77 days living in the Med City. Fortunately, after the first few days, they were able to move into the Ronald McDonald House. To this day, their children save their aluminum pop tabs. Walking down the hallways in schools in and around Albert Lea or at preschools such as The Children’s Center, people spot a poster about pop tabs. It’s a well-known fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House. People collect flip-top tabs from aluminum cans and save the proceeds for the Ronald McDonald House. They take containers of tabs to the house
itself, if they reside in Olmsted County, but where do they take them if they live in Freeborn County? Maggie Schoepski is the community development director for the Ronald McDonald House. She said people can bring them to a McDonald’s Restaurant in Albert Lea. Or people can recycle them and have the check made payable to the Ronald McDonald House. “Thousands of young people and families participate every year,” she said. “Past guest families often host large pop tab drives back home to raise awareness of our mission.” The Ronald McDonald House in Rochester is at 850 Second St. SW. It is just two blocks from St. Marys Hospital, where infants and children in the region get medical care for serious illnesses. Parents already bear plenty of expenses when raising children, so long hotel stays can add up. And staying in a hotel for days or weeks on end can be rough for siblings of the young ones in the hospital. It is the mission
of the Ronald McDonald House to provide community living at no cost to families, though most make a donation of about $15 a night. It all started in 1979 when four Rochester families sought to provide a home away from home for families with seriously ill children, and in 1980 with community support they formed Northland Children’s Services, a 12-bedroom home at 613 Second St. SW. The place was called
the Northland House. The Northland House became a licensed Ronald McDonald House in 1990, providing a familiar face for children and better recognition in the region, plus a strong tie to McDonald’s Corp. The board sought a new location, and in 1995 moved to the 850 Second St. SW location. It had 24 rooms for guests, and it had living areas, kitchens, laundry, playroom, game room and offices. In 2004, the Ronald McDonald House
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Tristan Register might have been to the Rochester many times for medical care, but he seems like any other happy 4-year-old boy these days.
expanded, adding 18 more guest rooms. Six of them are specifically for longterm stays. There is also a community dining room, and volunteer groups come one or two nights a week to make meals for the families. Maggie Schoepski is the community development director for the Ronald McDonald House. She said the house is full nearly every night. “We often have a waiting list of families hoping to get in,” she said. In 2012, the house had 778 families stay there — but 1,170 families were unable to stay because the place was full. “Our board and staff are exploring strategies to address this capacity situation,” Schoepski said. The Ronald McDonald House provides bed linens, towels, cleaning supplies and cooking appliances and utensils. It also offers books, DVDs, toys and video games, mainly for kids. But there is a pinball machine that grown-ups often enjoy, too. All the rooms are slightly different, and they have a capacity 4P. 4
A PUBLICATION OF THE ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE • FEBRUARY 2013
The Ronald McDonald House gives families with sick children a home away from home