Have you ever wanted to see the inside of the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn Illinois ?
Let me tell you a little about the Ronald McDonald House before we go in,
The house opened on December 15 ,2008, and it cost approximately 7 millions dollars, it is 24,000 sq ft., and has 16 individual rooms ( the rooms are like a high-end hotel room,).On the first floor is a huge kitchen , dining room, library, a meeting room for local business and hospital gatherings ,a computer space, 2 separate quarters where the residence live, laundry room on each floor, 3 family rooms, 3 game rooms, and an outdoor patio with a BBQ grill, that overlooks baseball and soccer fields
It is called , “The House In The Woods”, because as you walk towards the house you can hear running waters from the ponds, and as you can see, the front of the house greets you with huge trees, prairie grass, wild flowers, and various plants , literally you would think you were in the woods.
When you enter the house their is a beautiful staircase that takes you to the 2ND and 3rd floors, where there are 16 individual rooms that have been decorated after the 4 seasons :Winter, Spring,Summer and Fall. Each room has its own bathroom and shower, some rooms are larger , and include a bedroom with a sitting room that has a pull-our sofa, for siblings, Grandparents, and family members.
Each house has its own unique design, and at the present time there are currently 280 Ronald MCDonald Houses around the world. The purpose of the house is to provide a “Home away from Home” atmosphere for the family’s of Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn Illinois, which is directly across the street. So instead of family’s having to sleep in waiting rooms or cold motels for days, and in some cases months , they have their own private room, with homemade meals, and if they want to share with others they can .
I have the privilege of volunteering at the the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn Illinois on Tuesday’s, my main position is the receptionist. Some of my duties are to answer the phone, greet the family’s , except shipments from many donors, stock the kitchen, clean out the refrigerators, load and unload dishwashers, help tear down rooms when family’s leave the house ,water outside plants , and whatever needs to be done.
As you can see, this is the kitchen and dining room.
Through out the day families gather in the kitchen and take a little break from the hospital, have a cup of coffee, or snack , and try to get refreshed before returning to the hospital.
Their is a program called “Meals from the Heart”, which individual groups sign up and offer to cook for the family’s. I have seen tremendous meals prepared for the family’s like: BBQ Ribs, Chinese food, Meatloaf with all trimmings, Mexican Buffets, Spaghetti and Sausage and Peppers, Chicken ..,
I have been at the Ronald McDonald house for over 2 years and their hasn’t been an evening without a meal! Thanks to all the volunteers and donors of the Ronald McDonald House !
So your probably wondering, “Where IS RONALD MCDONALD?” 
MCDonald’s does not own the house , The Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn is a independent 501(c) non-profit that has a wonderful board of directors which governs it, but McDonald’s generously donates to the houses through varies programs like the canister program, and Happy Meals just to name a few.
To keep the house running smoothly their are 3 paid staff individuals who are perfect for the job, the house manager is Kelly Evens,and 2 assistants, Katie Allabough, and Racheal, also 3 residents who live at the house 24/7.
If the family’s can afford it, they are asked to donate 10.00 per night, but if they cant afford the 10.00,the fee is waived. also the family has to live at least 10 miles from Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn.
In order to stay at the house, families talk to their Doctors and social workers, because the house doesn’t take reservations ahead of time, if there’s room at the time of your family’s need you ll have an opportunity to benefit from the Ronald McDonald House. I have met family’s that come in from Rockford,New York, Indiana, South Carolina and other locations to stay at the house while their loved one is in the hospital.
Here’s a few suggestions that you can do to help the Ronald McDonald House in Oak lawn;
1. You can save pop tabs.
2. You can call the house and sign up to cook a meal with your friends or family’s.Or you can make arrangements to come in and bake cookies.
3. you can buy a few Happy Meals
if you would like more information about volunteering on the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn,
please call : 708.423.5285, and ask for Rachael.
Upcoming EVENTS:
May 1 – 31, 2011 McRunner at the Runner’s Soul McRunner at the Runner’s Soul May 2, 2011 The Runer’s Soul 5 South LaGrange Rd. LaGrange IL Come out at meet McRunner and help support Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Meet McRunner at Running Away Multisport Meet McRunner at Running Away Multisport May 4, 2011 Running Away Multisport 800 Waukegan Rd. Deerfield iL. Come out and visit with McRunner at Running Away Multisport 7th Annual Big Mac Under Glass 7th Annual Big Mac Under Glass May 14, 2011 6:00pm – May 15, 2011 12:00pm Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Ave. Chicago, Il. 7th Annual Big Mac Under Glass at Navy Pier on Saturday, May 14th supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana!
October 2011
October 24, 2011 5:30pm – 8:00pm
Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse 2105 Spring Road Oak Brook, IL 60523
Come celebrate the Scholars of the RMHC-CNI Scholarship Program!
November 2011
November 3,4,5, 2011
Union Station’s Great Hall
Would You Volunteer for Chocolate? Be part of America’s Sweetest Race while supporting RMHC-CNI!
November 11, 2011 8:00pm – November 12, 2011 2:00am
The world famous Cubby Bear 1059 W. Addison Chicago, Illinois
Join us for the second annual Rock the House! John and Nick are back and ready to Rock the House to build the world’s largest Ronald McDonald House.
November 12, 2011
The Lexington House on 95th Street
This inaugural event will be a night filled with food, casino gaming, and prizes. Entertainment will be provided by Jack D’Amico of The Chicago Rat Pack.
The Ronald McDonald House is in Oak lawn Illinois which is a suburb about 45 minutes from Chicago.Some of the communities that surround Oak Lawn are Hickory Hills,Palos Hills, Chicago Ridge, Evergreen Park,Burbank, Palos Heights,and Crestwood.If your looking to buy or sell your home , I would be happy to assist you.Call me direct at 708.945.2178 or e-mail at homesleuth1@aol.com
Thank- you for taking your time to learn a little bit about the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn Illinois, which I count a privilege to be a small part of what goes on behind the front doors.
Brenda Kasprzyk
www.chicago-suburb-homes.com
708.945.2178
fax 708.448.3960
email : homesleuth1@aol.com