Global Office of RMHC Recognizes Local RMHC Chapters With Prestigious Awards and Nearly $500,000 in Grants

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - Sep 19, 2013) - The Global Office of Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to 15 local Chapters during the Charity's biennial International Conference, held in Chicago this past August. Through the RMHC Hearts & Hands, Kim Hill and Innovation Awards, the family-centered nonprofit recognized the most impactful programs developed by Chapters in response to the critical needs of children in their communities.

The RMHC Chapters were recognized in the categories of Program Performance, Community Engagement, Financial Sustainability, Management Effectiveness and Innovation. Programs recognized included:

• Pediatric Developmental Unit of RMHC Turkey: The Pediatric Developmental Unit of RMHC Turkey ensures children diagnosed with developmental problems, some of the most common causes of illness in childhood, receive early intervention so that they can recover and succeed in life. With more than 74 million people living in Turkey, high birth rates, and only one hospital with the capacity to serve this population of children, the nonprofit partnered with the hospital to develop this critical resource. Through the establishment of this unit, RMHC Turkey facilitated the introduction of new knowledge about childhood development and is helping to shape the direction of the health care system and pediatric services in their country. In 2012 alone, this program benefitted 1,500 children in need.
• Classroom in the Ronald McDonald Family Room® of RMHC Mexico: This program extends the impact of the Ronald McDonald Family Room program by offering parents and other adult care givers respite and relaxation, while children engage in school activities. Since its inception, the program has provided more than 5,600 educational sessions to ensure a smooth transition back to school for children.
• "Our House is Your House" Campaign of Ronald McDonald House® (RMH) Southwestern Ontario: By featuring families served by the Chapter and those life moments that they would have missed if they weren't able to stay near their ill or injured child on point of purchase materials in McDonald's restaurants, this campaign deepened the community's understanding on how RMHC programs serve families in this area.
• "Share to Love, Love to Share" Campaign of RMHC Taiwan: The Chapter aligned efforts with Taiwan's largest group-buying website to create an online marketing campaign that leveraged corporate donor social media resources. They raised US$50,000 to support the Chapter's Ronald McDonald House expansion.
• "Aligning Hospitality Standards with RMHC Values" Program of RMHC Idaho: In conjunction with its local State University, the Chapter developed a training program for staff, volunteers and board members to teach how the organization's service standards translate to everyday behaviors while demonstrating positive approaches to accommodating and supporting guest families' needs.
• Ronald McDonald Care Mobile® of RMHC of Greater Chattanooga: In 2012, this Chapter conducted a reassessment of its Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program. Based on the needs of children in their community whose primary source of medical care had become school nurse practitioners, they made the decision to change their scope of service from a mobile dental program to a mobile school-based medical program. In 2012/2013 school year, the doctors and nurses aboard the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile provide advanced medical care to 1,385 underserved children during school hours.
• E.D.M.E.D Program and H.E.L.P Conference of RMHC Australia: This new program and conference challenges and motivates educators to change or adapt aspects of their teaching to be more inclusive and responsive to the needs of children who miss school because of serious or chronic illness. To date, the E.D.M.E.D accredited curriculum has been presented to over 12,000 teachers. And, the H.E.L.P conference provided a forum for discussion among experts to surface information on the implications of chronic illness and practical strategies to support children in the areas of social/emotional, cognitive and physical well-being.
• "Building the Ronald McDonald House Nagoya" Campaign of RMHC Japan: Led by the children's hospital in Nagoya, as well as the Governor and other government officials and media, RMHC Japan raised half the construction costs for a Ronald McDonald House from the Nagoya community through a multi-dimensional awareness and fundraising campaign. The new 12-bedroom Ronald McDonald House is due to open late 2013.
• "Kinderfondsknuffel" Campaign of RMHC Netherlands: Playing on the double meaning of the Dutch word "knuffle" -- "to hug" and "stuffed animal" -- the Chapter partnered with Johnson & Johnson to develop a comprehensive fundraising and marketing campaign that encouraged people to buy a plush toy (a knuffle) to support a hug for a sick child. The campaign netted US$45,000, added new donors and solidified a new and long-term partnership with Johnson & Johnson.
• RMHC First Fridays Program of RMHC Austin and Central Texas: To create awareness of the RMHC Donation Boxes among McDonald's customers and deepen the relationship and connection with the community, the Chapter and the local McDonald's co-op developed a plan to increase visibility of the Donation Boxes on restaurant counters and in drive thrus. Once a month, crew members wear RMHC-branded t-shirts to promote the program helping to increase Donation Box revenue month over month and giving the Chapter additional resources to support their Ronald McDonald House program.
• "Volunteer Engagement and Training" Program of RMHC Greater Cincinnati: To provide consistent customer service and cleaning standards, RMHC Greater Cincinnati developed materials and two comprehensive training programs for volunteers resulting in a 98 percent guest satisfaction rate from families.
• FamilyOne TV Channel Ronald McDonald House Philadelphia: FamilyOne TV is a future program of this organization that operates two Ronald McDonald House programs who serve 1400 families each year. The goal is to create an original way to communicate to families 24/7 on every TV throughout the House. Providing diverse, multi-lingual content and timely information, families will be able to access the resources they need to improve their experience during their stay at the House.
• "Family Connect" Program of RMH Northern Alberta: This Chapter is developing an application for smartphones, iPads and computers to facilitate keeping families informed while offering fun games and activities for kids. The application will include directions to places around town, contact lists and other important resources for parents.
• "Niños Consentidos" Program RMHC Puerto Rico: This Chapter will partner with a medical school and the community to create a clinic to provide vision and hearing services to 550 children per year as a part of its developing Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program.
• "Reading Mobile" Program of RMHC Argentina: Partnering with the country's leading transportation company, the Chapter will extend the reach of their existing Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program by establishing a mobile library. They will offer access to books for children, teens, and their parents to encourage reading and good educational habits. A facility for visual testing will be offered as well.

Of the award winners, the audience selected the RMHC Turkey Pediatric Developmental Unit to receive the Kim Hill Award for overall program performance. This Award is named in honor of Kim Hill, the girl who first inspired the Ronald McDonald House program.

"The RMHC Hearts and Hands, Kim Hill and Innovation Awards are an exceptional opportunity for us to recognize and promote best practices, as well as invest in future programming being created within the RMHC system," said J.C. Gonzalez-Mendez, president and CEO of RMHC. "We are proud of the work of these Chapters; their local programs exemplify the Charity's focus on sustainable program development to enhance the mission, reach and impact of RMHC."

The Awards reception and Gala were important celebrations in the 2013 RMHC International Conference which welcomed over 1,200 RMHC staff, board members and volunteers from over 40 countries and regions for a week of educational programming, networking and celebration of the Charity's mission.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of children. Through its global network of local Chapters in 59 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House®, Ronald McDonald Family Room® and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®, and millions of dollars in grants to support children's programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-operated and supported programs provide a bridge to quality health care and give children and families the time they need together to heal faster and cope better. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org, follow us on Twitter (@RMHC) or like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/RMHC Global).