Heart
BEATS SPRING 2020
To Our Amazing Volunteers
As our staff prepared this special Spring issue of Heart Beats, our emotions were overwhelmed in thinking about how much we’ve missed all of you. You’ve been the HEART of our programs for more than 32 years and we can’t wait for the day when each of you returns to the Ronald McDonald Houses and Tooth Truck. It was heartbreaking to have to cancel our Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner on April 28. We are part of an amazing network of Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles all over the world, with exemplary support and leadership from RMHC Global. We not only received a generous grant to assist our programs with expenses due to COVID-19, RMHC Global assembled a team of experts to help us keep our families, patients, volunteers and staff as safe as possible as we continue to fulfill our mission in different ways than we did a few short months ago. Most of you are aware we’ve been providing hotel rooms, individual meals and Welcome Bags to families who would usually stay at our Houses. Although we haven’t been able to provide dental treatment, the Healthy Smiles Academy has been able to continue its mission in a unique way as well (see inside). Our Family Dinner Groups have been truly amazing in making these individual meals possible, as well as so many in our community who have donated funds for these unbudgeted expenses. We’ve been asked by so many people when we will reopen the Tooth Truck and Houses, and when volunteers may return. First and foremost, we will always lead with safety. Unfortunately, the return of on-site volunteers and Family Dinner Groups is still weeks away for the Houses and months away for the Tooth Truck. With this in mind, our team will be in touch with opportunities to continue your volunteerism without having to do so in person; allowing us to keep our families, patients and staff as self-contained as possible and safe from the virus. We should know more in July about the return of Ronald McDonald House volunteers, which will be in phases. Tooth Truck and Healthy Smiles Academy volunteers will focus on off-site projects throughout 2020. Over the next several weeks, volunteer opportunities will evolve as we open our programs and experience a new normal. You’ll be hearing from us! We encourage you to learn more about our path forward in the pages ahead. We all wish you good health and safety, and look forward to talking soon! Yours in partnership,
Bonnie Keller President & CEO The Tooth Truck, Inc. RMHC of the Ozarks, Inc.