As the holiday season approaches, there are many opportunities to reflect on the previous year, give thanks and help those who are less fortunate.
The Toronto Automobile Dealers Association supports many philanthropic initiatives over the course of the year, including Ronald McDonald House, which is celebrating its official opening this week.
Thanks to the generous donations of many local citizens and companies, including $2 million from the TADA, Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Toronto is now the biggest of its kind in the world.
The TADA Gift of Life Wing at RMH Toronto will provide a comfortable home away from home for the families of children undergoing surgical procedures or awaiting organ and tissue transplants at local hospitals, easing the financial and emotional strain of what are already incredibly difficult circumstances.
Providing an array of valuable services for families, the house offers places for sleeping, schooling, working, cooking and playing. It also provides vital therapeutic programs that help ill children and their families.
The average length of stay at Ronald McDonald House Toronto is 51 days. It was at full capacity year-round, and there was no room for the house to grow at its old location on Gerrard Street.
They had to turn away 70 per cent of the families that needed it because of a lack of space.
“This beautiful building represents the very heart of a bold vision that took shape more than six years ago,” said John Davis, president of the Ronald McDonald House Toronto board at the recent gala opening.
“The motivation was simple: to correct, what we, the board of directors and staff, felt was profoundly unjust. We were turning away more desperately ill children and their families than we could serve.”
The new house at 240 McCaul, located in close proximity to the hospitals on University Avenue, can accommodate 81 families and features purpose-built program spaces for an accredited private school and child-focused programming with gardens and a playground.
This exciting grand opening is certainly reason to celebrate but is just the beginning.
With an operating budget of $3 million a year, RMH is constantly in need of donations in order to continue the valuable services they provide families in need.
By contributing to Ronald McDonald House, you can rest assured that your money will be making a difference in a child’s life, making that warm holiday feeling last all year long.
