LONDON, Ont. – The Western Mustangs football team announced today it raised $10,000 for Ronald McDonald House of Southwestern Ontario’s expansion campaign in a Lift-Off event held in late April.
Members of the team were on hand to present a cheque to the House on June 16.
Funds were raised by players who received donations for their efforts in their annual year-end Lift-Off, featuring skill-testing drills, similar to those seen in a football combine.
Players including Matt Norman (Montreal), Darryl Wheeler (Hamilton, Ont.) and Mike Spence (Burlington, Ont.), and coaches Greg Marshall, Mickey Donovan and Chris Bertoia were on hand for the presentation.
Marshall, the head coach of the Mustangs’ football team, was named the “campaign coach” of Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario earlier this year and the Lift-Off event was done as a part of a larger effort to raise funds for the House.
The charity hopes to raise $8.5 million dollars in this campaign, and needs $1.3 million to reach that goal.
Funds raised will go toward adding 17 new bedrooms to assist additional families at the House located at 741 Base Line Road East in London, adjacent to the Children’s Hospital and a short distance from St. Joseph’s neonatal intensive care unit.
Construction is expected to be complete by March 31, 2011, and will support families from all over Southwestern Ontario with children who are critically ill or seriously injured.
For more information about the Ronald McDonald House in Southwestern Ontario on Baseline Road in London, or if you wish to make a pledge, please visit [URL]http://www.rmhsouthwesternontario.ca/.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Canada is a registered charity that is dedicated to helping children with serious illnesses or disabilities, and their families, lead happier and healthier lives.
RMHC achieves this by supporting each Canadian Ronald McDonald House, the Ronald McDonald Family Room Program and by awarding grants to many other children’s charities across the country.
Since its inception in 1982, RMHC Canada has awarded more than $61 million in grants to the 12 Ronald McDonald Houses, the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and to many children’s charities across Canada. This support has benefited thousands of children and families in more than 600 communities.
About Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario
With 17 rooms currently, families with critically ill or injured children may stay over at the House for $10 a night, with kitchen, lounge and laundry facilities available along with their private bedroom. Local-area volunteers assist to make meals, as part of the “Dinner at Our House” program. Currently, the House cannot accommodate the demand for all families and are turning away some, sending them to local area hotels like the Best Western Lamplighter Inn. Ronald McDonald House pays for the hotel rooms, and just charges the family $10 a night. No one is turned away for an inability to pay even that amount. However, this does not provide the same proximity or other benefits as staying at the House. With the additional construction at the House, 17 new bedrooms will be built to double the capacity, and an elevator will be installed to improve accessibility. Other improvements include larger family spaces, larger kitchen and dining room areas, and upgraded laundry space. The House currently has stimulus funding from the provincial and federal governments at $2.6 million each, along with major gifts from Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada and RMH Charities Global among others.
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