Letter from our CEO 2
Comfort Care Bags 2 Ways You Can Help 3 Red Shoe Affair Wrap-up
Sponsor Shout-outs
Meet Angie Hamblin
Volunteer Spotlight
Pop Tab Battle
Ways YOU can Volunteer
Leave a Legacy
Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor provides a “home away from home” for families of children experiencing a serious illness or injury requiring hospitalization.
1600 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI,
“The House means everything to us because we get to be together with both of our children. RMHCAA makes our lives 10,000 times easier.” - Jessica
In June of this year, the Luney family was enjoying a summer vacation in Gaylord, Michigan when mom, Jessica, felt unwell. Being pregnant, she decided to get evaluated at a local ER. Doctors determined that she had severe preeclampsia and was also diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, (a pregnancy complication that affects the blood and liver). Together, with her medical team, they made the life-saving decision to LifeFlight her to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital where baby Wesley was delivered at 27 weeks.
Baby Wesley was born with underdeveloped lungs, but is otherwise doing well. He has been on a ventilator to help him breathe and will begin weaning off of it as he grows stronger.
While Wesley continued to grow at Mott, the Luney family continued to grow as well. When Myah was four months old, she was placed as a foster child with the Luneys. And after 9 months, Myah’s adoption was finalizedabout two weeks after brother Wesley arrived.
The day of Myah’s adoption, she joined Jessica and Carl at RMHCAA and they have lived there together ever since, waiting for Wesley to come home.
Their stay has not been without it’s ups and downs, including an emergency gallbladder removal surgery for Jessica.
Staying at the House, they say, has saved them. “You don’t have to worry what staying here will cost because they give you everything you need, including a hot shower, a place to relax, and a warm meal,” says Carl.
“We have even found comfort in the company of other families staying here because they know ex actly what we are going through. This place is oneof-a-kind, and we are so grateful to be able to stay here for as long as Wesley needs the medical care next door. Thank you!”
At the time of this article, Jessica, Carl, and big sister Myah, were staying at the house still waiting for little brother Wesley to come home.
JZ Zdanowski, President
Sheri Belcher-Tribble, Vice President
Andrew Loy, Treasurer
Kara Slater, Secretary
Loree Collett, Past President
Rob Aldrich
Brian Bator
Pat Cavanaugh
John Charpie, MD
Aaron Gramling
Mayuri Guntupalli
John Hamilton
Krista Lenart
Gautam Muthusamy
Mark Pfau
Roy Sexton
Debbie Tirico
Mark Van Sumeren
Monique Vann Brown
Russell West
Rosie Fellhauer, Emertius
Brian Bator
Clinical Manager in the NICU at Saint Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor
Gautam Muthusamy
President & Wealth Manager at Baughman Capital Management
Mark Pfau
Owner, ULM Restaurants, Inc. 16 Metro Detroit McDonald’s
Mark Van Sumeren
Managing Director at Health Industry Advisor LLC
This year found many of us reengaging with life as we ventured outside of our homes more. Some of us had more dinners out with friends while others took that long-awaited vacation. A lot of us, including the staff here at RMHCAA, headed back into the office. I have to say, I love looking around and seeing our staff all together again at the House. I also love the sound of the children staying at the House, playing outside in our playground area - just steps outside of my office door. Reengagement feels good.
Our team has decided to put a focus on the word ENGAGEMENT for these next few months. We have a strong commitment to serving families at a time of their greatest need. But we recognize that we cannot live out our mission without community engagement. Engagement in RMHCAA will be critical as we look to expand our services of current House programs, and also expand additional programming in the region.
While we are asking you to engage with us, we also commit to provide an impactful experience so you can see our mission being brought to life through your efforts whether it be through financial support, volunteering, or both.
You can be a part of an impactful engagement experience by participating in our Meals Matter program. I encourage you to grab a few friends to come cook at the House. Your crew only needs to show up on their scheduled day and prepare a home-cooked meal for the families staying in the house that night. Think about this program for a different spin on Girls Night Out or team-bonding. I promise you will leave the House feeling uplifted and fulfilled.
I welcome you to reach out to me or anyone on staff at RMHCAA with your thoughts on engaging with our mission. Check out page 8 of this newsletter for more ways we can work together to keep families close.
We now create and distribute “Comfort Care Bags”to families in the St. Joe’s NICU. In just a few months, we have given out hundreds of bags to families that provide comfort and care when they need it most. If you’d like to support this growing program, please contact Mary Moffett at mmoffett@rmhcannarbor.org
No sick child should be alone. No family should be apart. With the help of generous donors and dedicated volunteers, we offer an inclusive community of compassion, support, and comforts of home to families only steps away from the medical care their child needs - all at NO COST to any family. To make a donation, please visit our website at rmhcannarbor.org/donate.
Meals matter to our families. Families tell us that dinner gives them a break from the hospital and time to connect with others, as well as a feeling of comfort and being cared for. You can support our Meals Matter Program in THREE ways:
1. Sign up for a night to cook at our house. Make at $250 tax donation and we will do all the shopping and meal planning. Just show up and start cooking!
2. Donate to support our Meals Matter Program - any amount helps!
3. Provide a restaurant meal or catered meal for our families.
To learn more, email us at dinner@rmhcannarbor.org.
Buy new, child-safe toys to donate to our Holiday Shop that enables families to have gifts to give other family members for the holidays. Volunteers set up a “store” at the House where family members can select age appropriate gifts and have them wrapped for holiday giving. Donated Items must be new and unwrapped. Gifts can be dropped off at the Main House. The deadline for Holiday Shop donations is December 10. Thank you!
Your donations will help us make a “home away from home” for families whose children are receiving treatment at area hospitals. Our pantry shelves are looking bare this time of year. We are also in need of fresh linens for our beds and pack ‘n plays. You can view our entire wish list here: Please contact Mary Moffett if you have any questions at mmoffett@rmhcannarbor.org
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A global day of celebrating generosity.
Thank you to everyone who supported our 10th Annual Red Shoe Affair on September 16th! Because of YOU we raised $430,815 and counting! These funds will support our inclusive community of compassion, support, and comforts of home to families only steps away from the medical care their child needs.
PRESENTING SPONSOR
McDonald’s Michigan Owner Operators Business Association
Ganger Dermatology
Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Debbie and Mike Tirico Kate & Mark Van Sumeren and Karen G. Luther
Dr. Michelle and Andrew Caird
Dr. Dennis Crowley and Anita Clos Robin and David Hescheles
Mary and Glenn Johnson Kennedy Care La-Z-Boy Lane Good Family Mott Golf Classic
Old National Bank Dan Papajcik & Jessie Newman and Papa Brothers Tax LLC Team Adalyn and Maelyn Tribble Painting Company Varnum LLP
Alan Harris and Angela Costley Harris
Enspire Dental
Bank of Ann Arbor Baughman Capital Management Charles J. and Kathleen M. Baum Family Fund David and Andrea Brown Betsy and Patrick Cavanaugh
Dr. John and Kathy Charpie Columbia Asset Management
Dr. Pepper Dykema Forward Design Build Remodel Randy and Linda Meadows
Real Estate One - Matt Dejanovich Karen and Jeff Rothstein Taylor Freezer of Michigan, Inc. Jim and Renee Turissini Tyson Foods, Inc. Van Hooser Family Kevin and Andrea Webber JZ and Terry Zdanowski
Rob and Patty Aldrich Anderson Paint Company Sarah and Bill Atwell BPI Information Systems Monique Vann Brown and Keith Brown Carpe Diem 1 LLC Dr. Creg and Sheila Carpenter The Coca-Cola Company Diamabrush Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Aaron and Amanda Gramling Mayuri Guntupalli and James Devaney John and Jan Hamilton Kapnick Insurance Group Karen and David Kowal J Keller Properties, LLC Main Street Homes Susie and Todd McDevitt Dr. Christopher and Mary Newton Dr. Rick and Bonnie Ohye
Pollock Investment Advisors/Pollock Family SVN/Stewart Commercial Group
The Write Touch by Leyla
Baby Angelina wasn’t even born when she had her first surgery. Her parents, Brian and Theresa, learned from an ultrasound that Angelina had severe critical aortic stenosis while Theresa was pregnant. Theresa underwent an inutero procedure to correct the stenosis and possibly prevent Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) before Angelina’s birth. The aortic valve was successfully ballooned; however, her left ventricle did not grow and Angelina was diagnosed with HLHS shortly after birth. Angelina was in and out of the pediatric cardiac intensive care until she was about 2 months old. But she continued to have additional heart surgeries, and at 3 1/2 years old was hospitalized again with a severe case of pneumonia and empyema. The Hamblins stayed at the RMHCAA Main House at least three times over those years so they could be close to Angelina.
>> Angelina now attends the University of Michigan as a member of the Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program- right up the street from the Ronald McDonald House! Angelina plans to go into medicine, with a focus on pediatrics.
The Ronald McDonald House provided us with meals, a
place to sleep and shower, and a chance to meet other families in similar situations to ourselves. We were so grateful for the opportunity to stay there and have our basic needs met while caring for our little girl in her most critical moments.
HamblinA warm hug. That is what Cyndi Etsler and her fellow quilters at Preemie Pals hope to provide parents
with their handmade quilts. The concept of creating and
started back in 2012 when Mary Lindquist, owner of Quilting Season in Saline, donated her first 25 quilts to the Mott NICU. Today, the group has donated over 8,000 quilts at Michigan Medicine C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, St. Joe’s, Children’s Hospital, and RMHCAA!
Upon hearing her son-in-law
of
support that RMHCAA provided for his patients in the PCTU, Cyndi and the group decided to start quilting for the House as well and have been for the last three years. So far, this year alone, they have donated 87 lap or twin sized quilts to the families staying at the House (families are gifted these quilts and are able to take them home when they leave).
Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor serves more than 1,200 families who stay at one of our Houses each year. We recognize there are many families with a child staying at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital who we are not able to serve at our Houses. To help meet their needs, RMHCAA offers the Hospitality a la Carte Program, which enables us to serve even more families.
Families are often sitting in their child’s room or in waiting rooms for hours and are stressed. Our Hospitality Carte program provides comfort care items to families of patients in the hospital at NO CHARGE, providing personal hygiene
fleece blankets, and activity books to make family members more comfortable and help pass the time. Items for the Hospitality Carte are donated by local individuals, organizations, and businesses.
here to learn
or contact Sara Thompson at Sthompson@rmhcannarbor.org.
