2013 HEART & SOLE AWARD sharon and larry carrico awarded for commitment to rmhc mission
RMHC St. Louis Board President, Mike Murphy, presented Sharon and Larry Carrico with the Heart and Sole Award in December 2013. Sharon and Larry own three businesses: Rent One, RNR (Rent-N-Roll), and Imagery Marketing, all of which support the RMHC St. Louis mission. The Heart and Sole Award was created in 2005 to honor Coldwell Banker Gundaker in recognition of its more than 20year commitment to RMHC St. Louis. Each year, the nonprofit organization honors a new company that emulates Coldwell Banker Gundaker’s long-term commitment and generosity. “Receiving this award is a great honor,” says Larry. “Sharon and I, and our co-workers, are fortunate to be able to contribute but feel we always get back more than what we give, especially to the RMHC families – every time we walk into a House or Family Room, every time we hear a family’s story,
we are reminded that giving is always easier than receiving. RMHC is a great organization, giving immeasurable support to families at critical times in their lives. It’s a blessing to be able to be a part of their mission.” Larry and Sharon Carrico have been generous supporters of Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis since 2002, when they donated televisions to the eight long-term apartments adjacent to the Ronald McDonald House on West Pine Blvd. Since that time, all three of the Carricos’ companies have become involved in supporting the RMHC mission. Currently, they offer their employees an opportunity to support the organization through a Time, Talent and Treasure Program – making it easy for employees to volunteer or give monetarily through payroll deductions. To date, the three Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms have benefited from donations in excess of $200,000 from more than 1,200 employees in nine different states. RMHC St. Louis has also been the recipient of funds raised at the employees’ annual events, such as a “Day at the Diamond” or a golf tournament. In addition, the Carricos made a $100,000 pledge toward the construction of our third Ronald McDonald House, which was built in 2010, by matching all of their employees’ donations from the Time, Talent and Treasure Program, which is funded through their Foundation. “Sharon and Larry have been tremendous friends to Ronald McDonald House Charities for several years, and we are so very proud to recognize them with the 2013 Heart and Sole Award,” said RMHC St. Louis President Dan Harbaugh.
A FOND FAREWELL On January 21, 2014, close friends and colleagues of Rick Mauger gathered at the West County Ronald McDonald House to celebrate his retirement after 36 years with The Coca-Cola Company. Rick Mauger has been a tremendous friend to RMHC St. Louis over the years. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for six years, and has volunteered in countless other ways. In his retirement, Rick currently serves as an ambassador for our First Fridays program, a fundraiser with St. Louis-area McDonald’s restaurants. We were honored to host his retirement celebration at The House that Love Built, and we wish him all the best in his new endeavors!
35 Heartbeat • Spring/Summer 2014
Rick Mauger with McDonald’s Owner/Operators Joan Elhoffer and Jimmy Williams