When a child is diagnosed with cancer or any kind of life threatening disease, it can take a toll on the family. Financially, a family may experience struggles, especially when the treatment is miles away from their home and involves quite a bit of traveling. However, organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House are there to help many families in need.

Ronald McDonald House is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.

One of the locations is in Winfield IL, located right across the street from Central Dupage Hospital. Parents and families can stay close to their child while they are getting treatment for their illness.

On April 8, I had the privilege of volunteering there along with United Students of All Cultures (USAC), it was my first time at one of the locations, and it was a pretty amazing place.

We had the task of cooking the guests dinner, each meal had to be prepared in the kitchen since there may be some ingredients in food items that may not be good for patients with certain illnesses.

The meal we were tasked with cooking was a Chinese meal, which included fried rice, egg rolls, egg drop soup, and chicken stir fry. Everyone had various jobs to do and it felt pretty good making a meal for people who need it the most.

We then got a tour of the building and one place that stood out to me was the bedrooms. They have rooms that look just like hotel rooms that the families can stay in. They even had little journals that families can write in and leave little positive notes for the next families to stay in that room. There is also no TV in the rooms because they encourage the families to spend time with one another, which is exactly what the child needs at the time.

Another cool part was the room where there is a whole bunch of toys that a child can pick out any toy they want and if they have any younger siblings they have the option of picking out a toy as well. It can be hard on the sibling as well because they may not get as much attention but that thought shows that they think of the family as well.

Ronald McDonald House is a helpful organization for families with sick children.  To get involved you can volunteer at any of the locations near you, donate online, or you can donate some pop tabs as well.