Fall 2020 Newsletter

2020

FALL NEWSLETTER

LOVE

HOPE

FAMILY

#KEEPINGFAMILIESCLOSE

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A MESSAGE FROM MIKE FORNESS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Generous donations from the Community Cancer Fund, Katerra, and MultiCare allowed us to Serve More Families with minimal financial allocations from RMHC. This was especially important, as we were planning for a 2022 expansion of the Spokane Ronald McDonald House to finally address the longstanding family waiting list.

Serving More Families was the number one goal in our 2017-2019 strategic plan. While providing accommodations to twenty-two families at the Ronald McDonald House and serving numerous families at the Ronald McDonald Family Room in Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, our waiting list for overnight lodging was consistently in double digits – and periodically over twenty.

In 2016 when we were developing the organization’s strategic plan, little did we know what would transpire over the eighteen months between September 2018 and March 2020. After years of trying to get a Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Deaconess Hospital, MultiCare Heath System immediately approved this project, and we opened in September 2018.

Then, the Community Cancer Fund facilitated a collaboration between Kootenai Health, Katerra, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest (RMHC). In September 2019, funded by the Community Cancer Fund, a new Ronald McDonald House opened on the campus of Kootenai Health as part of a broader Hospitality Center.

Our plans for expansion in Spokane were adjusted when AbbVie, a biopharmaceutical company, offered $5.6 million for our expansion if we opened no later than the first quarter of 2020. Wow! The RMHC Board of Directors decided to move the 2022 expansion plans to 2020. The Spokane RMHC campus opened a second Ronald McDonald House in March 2020. We now have the capacity to serve up to fifty-six families. NO MORE FAMILY WAITING LIST!! Families traveling to Spokane with their ill children for medical treatment – from a 186,000 square mile, four-state area – would have a ‘Home-Away-From-Home’ during some of the most trying times of their lives.

In March, shortly after opening the brand new House, the COVID-19 pandemic hit our area, making everything more difficult – for families, staff, volunteers, and donors. Now, some have wondered if RMHC should have undertaken such opportunistic efforts to Serve More Families. The answer is unequivocally YES! Children still get cancer, babies continue to be born prematurely, and other childhood injuries and illnesses don’t stop because of the pandemic.

We are Serving More Families now because of our partnerships, which includes you. More than ever, even in difficult and challenging times for everyone in our community, our families need your support at this time. Please consider making a donation to provide our families with a ‘HomeAway-From-Home’.

Gratefully, Mike Forness Executive Director

General Manager Jon Henson Larry H. Miller Lexus of Spokane

General Manager Dave Short Larry H. Miller Downtown Toyota Spokane

General Manager Andrew Cowart Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane

DONOR HIGHLIGHT LARRY H MILLER DOWNTOWN SPOKANE DEALERSHIPS Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest is grateful to Larry H. Miller Lexus of Spokane, Larry H. Miller Downtown Toyota Spokane, Larry H. Miller Downtown Honda Spokane for their generosity and continued support! Their ongoing support comes in many forms, from individual and workplace giving, corporate gifts, and in-kind donations and services. Larry H. Miller Lexus joined the RMHC family and has been a partner of our Annual Polo Classic event for three consecutive years. This year, in lieu of Polo, Larry H. Miller Lexus partnered with us at our Call for the Kids Telethon in September to help raise money and awareness for our mission. Additionally, all three downtown Larry H. Miller Dealerships are Adopt-a-Room partners. Together, they help fund the families who use their sponsored room for one full year while their child receives medical treatment in our region.

This holiday season, Larry H. Miller Honda, Larry H. Miller Lexus, and Larry H. Miller Toyota Spokane teamed up together to fill their showroom cars with gifts for families with ill or injured children receiving medical care here in our community. See the Holiday Wish-list items on our website at: rmhcinlandnw.org/holiday-wishlist/ You can drop off gifts at all three locations during business hours before December 12.

GIVE THE GIFT OF FAMILY

Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season. Join this global movement on December 1, 2020, to provide comfort, care and a ‘Home-Away-From-Home’ to RMHC families. Here are 3 reasons to give: 1. Soloman Soloman was diagnosed in April 2020 with Leukemia right after the pandemic hit.

2. Soloman’s Family Due to closures and cost, Soloman’s family had a tough time finding a place to stay near the hospitals in our region until they found Ronald McDonald House of the Inland Northwest.

3. Togetherness Your gift today will give kids, like Soloman, a way to stay near his family and stay strong.

Don’t want to wait for the next Giving Tuesday? Give today – and make sure a sick child has their family nearby so they never have to fight alone: classy.org/campaign/giving-tuesday/c313304

ATTEND A RMHC OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST EVENT Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest honors and celebrates the strength, courage, and resiliency of the families we serve by hosting signature fundraising events to raise money for our nonprofit’s cause. Help provide a ‘Home-Away-From-Home’ for families with critically ill or injured children accessing medical care in our region. Sponsor, participate in, or attend one of our signature 2021 events:

FLAMINGO FLOCKING

RMHC GOLF CLASSIC

GIVE LOVE BREAKFAST

CAR RALLY FOR KIDS

APRIL 15 - APRIL 26, 2021 Watch for these bright flamingos to start appearing in lawns around Spokane this April.

COMING SPRING 2021 Historic Davenport Join us at the Historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, WA and learn about the impact that RMHC has on our region.

COMING JULY 2021 Circling Raven Start practicing your golf swings and get ready for an action packed day benefiting the families we serve.

JULY 16, 2021 Coeur d’Alene (CDA) Casino Rev up those engines and get ready for a day of great foodđ&#x;?”, musicđ&#x;Žź, and classically cool carsđ&#x;š—!

COEUR D’ALENE (CDA) BREAKFAST

LEXUS POLO CLASSIC

LEWISTON BREAKFAST

CALL FOR THE KIDS TELETHON

COMING SPRING 2021 This event will be held at the CDA Inn Best Western this Spring. Learn more about our mission and our CDA families.

COMING SPRING 2021 Red Lion Hear from a family from Lewiston, ID about their experience with having a NICU baby while staying at the House.

KIDS N’ CLAYS

MAY 14, 2021 Double Barrel Ranch Join us for a day of competitive clay shooting benefiting RMH families. Open to all skill levels!

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 Get your summer garden party attire out and experience the thunder of horses running full speed while watching polo players from around the world.

COMING OCTOBER 2021 Hop on the line and join us for our live telethon and learn more about our RMH families.

SK BALL

COMING OCTOBER 2021 Get ready for a one-of-akind barn dance featuring live music, line dancing, a silent auction, and more!

FIND MORE INFORMATION ON OUR UPCOMING EVENTS: RMHCINLANDNW.ORG

BERTA’S STORY: AN UPDATE Roberta (Berta) and her family (the Maestas’) left Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest in March 2020 after they had exhausted all treatment options in Spokane, WA. Roberta started her T-cell research study in Texas a few weeks later. The first week consisted of three days of chemotherapy, a day of rest, and 40 cc’s of T-cells on Friday. Berta spent the next ten days in the I.C.U because her lungs were collapsing. She and her family had to stay in Texas until the end of July, and during that time they got in touch with the doctors at M.D. Anderson.

The Maestas’ went home to WA for about a month before making their way back to Texas to explore more treatment options. As soon as they got back, Berta was put in the hospital for four days (during one of the hurricanes) and received narrow beam proton therapy on her shoulder for the next twenty days, while simultaneously taking chemotherapy pills.

About 2 weeks ago, she started a new study called “inhaled chemotherapy”. Twice a week, she and her family go to the hospital, where Berta goes into an isolation tent within an isolation room. When everything is ready, she has to inhale the chemotherapy through a modified nebulizer for thirty minutes. In one month, her doctor is going to take a CT of her chest to see how well the chemotherapy is working. Depending on the results, Berta may undergo her first lung surgery.

THANK YOU BLOOMSDAY The Lilac Bloomsday Association presented our House with a check in the amount of $30,673. This donation was made possible by Bloomsday and their participants who generously donated through the Bloomsday registration process! We are thrilled to be their charity of choice for Bloomsday 2021.

Thank you for continuing to stand by us and supporting our efforts to provide a ‘Home-AwayFrom-Home’ for families with ill or inured children receiving medical care in our region.

CARES ACT EXPANDS MEET THE WILSONS TAX DEDUCTIONS FOR CHARITABLE GIVING Did you know the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) created several opportunities for you to reduce your tax liability, while also helping support families at RMHC of the Inland NW. The legislation, passed in late March, expanded charitable giving incentives for taxpayers. Here’s how: • You can now make up to $300 in charitable contributions and deduct that amount on your 2020 taxes, in addition to the standard deduction.

Congress included a provision in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, intended to provide some relief for charitable organizations. The CARES Act permits eligible individuals who do not itemize deductions to deduct $300 of qualified charitable contributions as an “above-the-line” deduction, i.e., as an adjustment in determining adjusted gross income (AGI), for tax years beginning in 2020.

• If you itemize, the legislation removed the income limitation for deducting charitable contributions, meaning there is no longer a limit on how much you can give!

• Plus, the new law temporarily suspended required minimum distributions from your IRA for 2020.

For more information, talk to your tax advisor.

ADOPT-A-ROOM PARTNERS “What I’ve learned from my years of service on the RMHC board is that our mission of providing a ‘Home-Away-From-Home’ for our families drives everything we do.

When families are asked to share what they appreciated the most about their stay at the Ronald McDonald House, the overwhelming response is how grateful they are that their family was able to stay together in a comfortable and supportive living space. That’s why my husband, Mike, and I chose to be Adopt-A-Room sponsors.

Our donation ensures that all of the expenses for the room are covered for a year. Relieving a family of the financial and emotional pressure of finding a ‘Home-Away-From-Home’ is the greatest gift that Ronald McDonald House can offer. “ - Carol Wilson

Become an Adopt-A-Room partner today: rmhcinlandnw.org/adopt-a-room/

MAKE A HOME

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest is built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child – not how they will afford transportation to hospitals, where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. Here’s how your gift will make a difference and help fund our RMHC families:

25

$

Transportation

50

$

Shelter

100

$

Meals

200

$

Emotional Support

Visit our website to learn more about how you can help: rmhcinlandnw.org

BOARD MEMBERS AMAZON SMILE AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets you enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the eligible charitable organization of your choice.

How Do I Set Up AmazonSmile to Support Ronald McDonald House of the Inland Northwest?

• Visit smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile browser • Follow the prompts and select Ronald McDonald House of the Inland Northwest as your supported charitable organization • Shop on amazon.smile.com every time you want to make an Amazon purchase For more information about the AmazonSmile program, go to smile.amazon.com/about

HAPPY 1 YEAR TO OUR NORTHERN IDAHO HOUSE

It’s been one year since the Northern Idaho House on the campus of Kootenai Health in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho added 18,000-square-feet to Ronald McDonald House of the Inland Northwest, allowing the House to serve even more families than ever before.

The Hospitality Center, a beautiful, newly constructed, customdesigned lodge, is home to our 8-room Northern Idaho Ronald McDonald House, as well as the Walden House, housing for adult patient families.

2020 Board of Directors Connie Bischoff, President Debbie Andrews, Pres. Elect Tamara McGregor, Past Pres.

Tracey Junkermier, Secretary Terri Skubitz, Treasurer Chris Amistoso Seanna Bodholt Dr. Luis Cantu Brady Cass Lynnelle Caudill Mark Conrath Michele Drake Melanie Finch Scott Gingras Gina Hern Danielle Jackson Doreen Mills Dr. Jeremy Nicolarsen Nick Pierre Bernadette Pillar Stacia Rasmussen Barbara Ray* Mima Scarpelli Kathie Vlahovich Kris Wedel Carol West* Carol Wilson Sustaining Members* Endowment Board Pat West ’84-’87, President Mark Ray ’89, Vice President Pam Leonard ‘92 Chris Mikkelsen ‘93 Sue Eugster ‘94 Marilyn Thordarson ‘98 Steve Stocker ‘99 Carole Jones ’00-‘01 Chuck Young ‘02 John Driscoll ‘03 Don Jacobson ‘04 Jeri Self-Merritt ‘05 Tom Lienhard ‘06 Sam Higgins ‘07 Mick Buller ‘08 Tim Skubitz ‘09 Peter Riverso ‘10 Catherine Brazil ‘12 Joyce Martz ‘13 Sue Eymann ‘14 Ed Tabish ‘15 Jeff O’Neill ‘16 Tom Lavagetto ‘17 Mark Ray, Jr. ‘18 Tamara McGregor ‘19

1028 W 5th Avenue Spokane, WA 99204

OUR MISSION Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest provides temporary lodging, social and emotional support, at no charge, for families of children accessing medical services.

JOIN OUR SOCIAL COMMUNITY Following us on social media is a great way to stay up-to-date on current and past families at the House, learn about upcoming events, reach out to us with questions, and connect with individuals, like yourself, who are interested in making a difference in the RMH community.

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