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Community DC Kymberly Wolff RMHC for Greater Washington DC · Community D.C.

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community d C.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: I'm your host Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we welcome back
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: to the program Kimberly Woll. She is the president and
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: CEO for Ronald McDonald House's Charities of Greater Washington d C. Now,
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  Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald House Charities have been around since nineteen seventy four,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: starting and originating in Philadelphia, and they set up Shopping
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: d C in nineteen eighty and now have two houses.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk more about the history of Ronald McDonald House Charities,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: how families qualify donations, volunteering, and much more over the
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: next thirty minutes. So here's my conversation with Kimberly of
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington d C. I
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as I did.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning, Kimberly, Good morning Dennis. It's great to have
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: you back on Community DC. And for the people who
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: missed our conversation last time, I'd like to do a
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: quick recap on the history of the Ronald McDonald House
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: of Greater Washington, DC and just overall the charity because
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: it is amazing from where it started to where it
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: is today? Can you give us a brief history on it?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and thanks so much for having me again today.
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  Speaker 2: At the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington, d C.
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  Speaker 2: We serve families who have children who are seriously ill
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: or injured, Families who choose to leave their homes so
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: their child can get the specialized care that they need.
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  Speaker 2: We're a bit unique in this region because we operate
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: two houses, one on the campus of a Nova Fairfax
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  Speaker 2: in northern Virginia and one very close to Children's National
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Hospital in DC. As you can imagine, when our families arrive,
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: they are often exhausted, stressed, and running on adrenaline, and
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: as they walk through our doors, it's our goal to
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: immediately help them feel like they can just exhale. We
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: provide a home away from home, a warm bed, a
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: hot shower, a fully stocked kitchen, and a place to
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: do the laundry, and most importantly, a community that holds
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: them through some of the hardest days of their lives
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: as long.
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  Speaker 3: As they need and at no charge.
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  Speaker 2: I think people underestimate how life changing it can be
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  Speaker 2: for a parent to know I could be near my
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  Speaker 2: child and I don't have to worry about how I'm
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: going to afford it. That's our mission in one line,
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  Speaker 2: we keep families close to the care of their child needs.
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  Speaker 1: I have so much to talk about with you, and
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  Speaker 1: I know you have a lot coming up, But am
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  Speaker 1: I to understand correctly that Ronald McDonald House just overall
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  Speaker 1: started back around the mid seventies. And was it Philadelphia
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  Speaker 1: where everything started?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary as a system over
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  Speaker 2: a year ago. And doctor Audrey Evans was a trailblazer
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: who was a pediatric oncologist at chop in Philadelphia, and
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  Speaker 2: she is the first one who really was able to
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  Speaker 2: articulate the need for families who were traveling away from
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  Speaker 2: home to.
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  Speaker 3: Seek medical care.
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  Speaker 2: And she worked with the Philadelphia Eagles and they began
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: to do some fundraising through the Shamrock Shake program and
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: ultimately that is what became a system that operates in
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  Speaker 2: over sixty countries around the globe.
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  Speaker 1: So when families talk about staying close to their child,
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  Speaker 1: what does that really mean inside your houses?
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  Speaker 2: It means everything really emotionally, financially and practically if you
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  Speaker 2: can imagine, which is an awful thing to imagine. But
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  Speaker 2: if you imagine your child is in the ICU. You
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  Speaker 2: don't want to be an hour away. You don't want
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  Speaker 2: to be stuck in traffic, or you don't want to
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  Speaker 2: be in a hotel for weeks or months.
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  Speaker 3: You want to be close enough.
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  Speaker 2: To drop everything and go the moment the hospital calls.
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  Speaker 2: At our houses, families are right there, minutes away. They
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  Speaker 2: don't have to choose between being present for their child's
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  Speaker 2: care and the financial strain of being away from home.
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  Speaker 2: One mom told us recently that this house gives me
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  Speaker 2: the strength to keep going. It gave me my footing
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  Speaker 2: back when everything felt like it was falling apart. And
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  Speaker 2: to me, that's staying closehysical proximity, and it's emotional grounding.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I'm guessing you and your staff also see
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  Speaker 1: both sides. You see the despair that's going on when
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  Speaker 1: people feel like all heck is breaking loo or loose
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  Speaker 1: with their family and their children. And yet here you are,
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  Speaker 1: with your volunteers and your people donating the houses, the food,
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  Speaker 1: the time, and just trying to take care of all
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  Speaker 1: the heck that is going around them to make it
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  Speaker 1: just a little bit easier and palatable.
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  Speaker 4: Right.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, our volunteers who show up for us. Honestly, are
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  Speaker 2: one of my favorite parts of our mission. We have
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  Speaker 2: more than one hundred recurring volunteers who are absolutely the
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  Speaker 2: heartbeat of our houses. They cook meals, they decorate the
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  Speaker 2: houses for the holidays, they stock pantries, clean, organize, but
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  Speaker 2: most importantly, they bring that warmth into every corner of
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  Speaker 2: our space.
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  Speaker 3: And then there are meal groups.
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  Speaker 2: We have, corporate groups, community groups, small businesses, restaurants, teams,
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  Speaker 2: individuals and our forever families who come back to cook
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  Speaker 2: for the families who are staying. Now, that's full circle,
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  Speaker 2: that's community healing itself.
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  Speaker 3: One former dad told me.
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  Speaker 2: That cooking at the houses is how he says thank
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  Speaker 2: you for what the house gave him when he was staying.
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  Speaker 2: He brings his whole work team to the houses now,
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  Speaker 2: and that's really what community partnership looks like.
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  Speaker 1: It sure is. Thanks for sharing that so, Kimberly, You've
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  Speaker 1: been leading this mission through a very important year and
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  Speaker 1: I don't want to minimize it. Other years and more
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  Speaker 1: important than others. But what draws you personally to this work.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I've always believed the real work of a community
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  Speaker 2: is revealed in how people care for other people.
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  Speaker 3: During a crisis.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's unique to our culture, not just here
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  Speaker 2: in this geography, but across the United States. A child's
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  Speaker 2: medical crisis is one of the most destabilizing moments that
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  Speaker 2: a family can experience. And when I step into our houses,
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  Speaker 2: I see quiet moments of humanity that never really make headlines.
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  Speaker 2: I see a dad or a caregiver finally getting a
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  Speaker 2: full night's sleep, a mom sitting with another mom, both
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  Speaker 2: understanding each other without having to go into the details,
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  Speaker 2: or a volunteer dropping off homemade cookies because they remember
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: how it felt when their child, their own child was hospitalized.
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  Speaker 2: Those moments are profound, and I accepted this rule because
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  Speaker 2: I wanted to lead an organization where the impact is immediate, tangible,
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  Speaker 2: and deeply human. And every single day I get to
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  Speaker 2: see the difference this community makes.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk a little bit more about volunteers and the
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  Speaker 1: meal groups and how you partner to support the families,
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  Speaker 1: but I did want to ask you, what kind of
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  Speaker 1: need are you seeing this here and how many families
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  Speaker 1: have relied on your house is in twenty twenty five?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, this year, the need has been extraordinary.
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  Speaker 2: As of the end of November, we have supported more
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  Speaker 2: than five hundred families, and we've already provided nearly sixteen
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  Speaker 2: thousand nights of rest, which is about a sixteen percent
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  Speaker 2: increase over last year.
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  Speaker 3: And that's huge.
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  Speaker 2: Houses are running at full capacity for most have been
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  Speaker 2: for most of the year. And when we're full, that
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: doesn't mean the need stops, it needs the need keeps coming.
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  Speaker 2: Families in our region are dealing with longer hospital stays,
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  Speaker 2: more complex diagnoses, and increase financial strain. One family stayed
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  Speaker 2: with us for almost a full year while their child
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  Speaker 2: received treatment.
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  Speaker 3: A full year.
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  Speaker 2: Imagine trying to afford a hotel for a year, trying
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  Speaker 2: to get back and forth from work, care for your child,
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  Speaker 2: prepare meals, and travel to the hospital every day.
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  Speaker 3: That's simply why we exist.
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  Speaker 1: Kimberly, what's the criteria for a family being able to
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  Speaker 1: use the facilities.
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  Speaker 3: We work through?
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  Speaker 2: So we operate in partnership with twenty two medical centers.
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  Speaker 3: Around Greater Washington, d C.
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  Speaker 2: And either the case worker, social worker, or nursing staff
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  Speaker 2: will refer a family to us and we pick up
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  Speaker 2: the relationship from there. So once a family has been
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  Speaker 2: referred from medical partners, we begin the process of trying
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  Speaker 2: to accommodate them and get them into the house as
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  Speaker 2: soon as possible.
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  Speaker 1: Where are the two houses located.
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  Speaker 2: One is on the campus of Venova Fairfax in northern
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  Speaker 2: Virginia and the other very.
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  Speaker 3: Very close to Children's National in Washington, d C.
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  Speaker 1: So we've mentioned the volunteers, and this is all the
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  Speaker 1: people that alongside you with meal groups and volunteers and
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  Speaker 1: the partners who support these families. Can you talk a
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  Speaker 1: little bit about that, because I know this is a
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  Speaker 1: really big portion of what you do.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely.
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  Speaker 2: Our volunteers, as I said earlier, are really the heartbeat
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  Speaker 2: of our houses. They come in, they work alongside us.
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  Speaker 2: They do everything that I mentioned earlier, from cooking meals
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  Speaker 2: or decorating or helping stock pantries.
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  Speaker 3: To really being what.
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  Speaker 2: We consider the secret sauce, if you will, using a
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  Speaker 2: McDonald's phrase, of being the comfort and the warmth in
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  Speaker 2: the houses. And for me, that's what makes the community
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  Speaker 2: inside the houses operate so well.
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  Speaker 1: One of the things that I learned from you last
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  Speaker 1: time that I just took for granted is the actual
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  Speaker 1: state of the house because electricity, gas, running water, the lights,
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  Speaker 1: maybe Wi Fi landlines, it could be a mirroad of things,
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  Speaker 1: maybe even cable. But I imagine that you're also having
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  Speaker 1: to work with all those different kind of parties of
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  Speaker 1: people volunteering their time or working with them to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that the house is always up to specs for
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  Speaker 1: the family when they're staying there.
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  Speaker 2: Sure picture this. Parents come in after a long day
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  Speaker 2: at the hospital. They're carrying heavy emotional weight. They walk
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  Speaker 2: into a warm kitchen where volunteers are cooking dinner, and
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  Speaker 2: it smells like a real home, not a hospital cafeteria.
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  Speaker 2: Kids might be doing homework at the dining table, a
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  Speaker 2: volunteer might be setting out cookies they baked at home.
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  Speaker 3: Someone is putting up holiday decoration.
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  Speaker 2: Perhaps another family is quietly sitting by the fireplace, just
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  Speaker 2: taking a moment to breathe. Even in the hardest moments,
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  Speaker 2: you do see glimpses of joy. You hear laughter, you
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  Speaker 2: see connection. The houses really feel like a village, a
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  Speaker 2: place where you're not alone.
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  Speaker 1: You know, Kimberly, one of the things I'm also learning
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  Speaker 1: is the world there's some families that maybe want some
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  Speaker 1: solace and be alone that your volunteers, it sounds like,
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  Speaker 1: also interact. They could be in the kitchen, cooking or
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  Speaker 1: putting up the lights or whatever it is there. So
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  Speaker 1: there's some people that actually just don't leave things at
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  Speaker 1: the door and walk away. They're interacting with the families
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  Speaker 1: that are staying there, which I think is wonderful because
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  Speaker 1: sometimes I think everybody just wants a sense of normalcy
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  Speaker 1: when all heck is breaking loose. I guess that's what
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  Speaker 1: it is.
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  Speaker 3: Right, Absolutely, you're absolutely correct.
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  Speaker 1: Well, let's talk a little bit about funding and the
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: reality and the holiday match. I know that you know
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: when it comes to ways to give, there are many
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  Speaker 1: ways to do that. So why don't we kind of
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: maybe just do a thirty thousand foot view of what
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: that is and then we can go into the weeds
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: about all the different ways that you can give when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, DC.
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  Speaker 3: Great.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think this surprises people, but our houses run
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  Speaker 2: almost entirely on community support. Our funding comes from individual donors,
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: monthly supporters, from corporations and foundations, and from government grants,
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: and of course we're proud to have McDonald's as our
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: founding and forever partner. The support from McDonald's is real
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  Speaker 2: and meaningful, especially since most of it comes from our
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: local owner operators, who are essentially running small businesses. Our
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: local owner operators and their crews volunteer in the houses,
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  Speaker 2: they prepare meals, they come out to support community events
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: like our Red Shoe five k, and this year they've
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: increased their support for our families more than ever. But
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  Speaker 2: McDonald's can't fund everything, and their support provides the foundation
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: for our houses and our programs. The rest is really
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: built by the generosity of thousands of people across the region.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Every bed meal, every load of laundry, it's all powered
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: by this community.
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  Speaker 1: And I wasn't kidding about ways to give. If you
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: go on the website and Kimberly will give that in
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: just a moment, then we'll give it at the end
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: again if you already haven't googled it out there. But
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: ways to give about donating about Sharonight, the wish list,
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: feed the House, corporate champions that you talked about, workplace giving,
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: legacy planning, there's a you can even donate your vehicle.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: I mean, there are really a lot of ways to
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: give heart there.
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  Speaker 2: It's amazing there really are, and we're so excited because
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: as we're going through this holiday season, we are working
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: in partnership with the Washington Capitals right now through December thirty. First,
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: the Capitals are generously matching contributions that are made to us,
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: and this is happening at a time when families us
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: really need us most. The holidays are joyful for many,
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: but for our families in our houses, it can be
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: a really heartbreaking time if their child is in the hospital,
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: some are away from home, and they're trying to balance
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: it all. So all of those ways to help support
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: us are in fact available on our website, and with
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: this campaign for the holidays, a match gift means your
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: donation goes twice as far paying for meals, nights of rest,
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: hot meals, transportation support, and community care. And the Capital
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: is stepping up like this is a real statement to
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: how they see and support our families and how they
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: want to be part of lifting them up through the holidays.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: That's wonderful, and all our sports teams are very generous,
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: but I just notice the capitals really step up all
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: the time. So I'm glad you have that partnership. And
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: let's give the website right now to everybody so they
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: can start checking things out.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, it is a mouthful.
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  Speaker 2: It is www dot r m hc DC dot org.
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  Speaker 2: I'm gonna say that one more time because it is
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: a mouthful r m HCDC dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Kimberly, if there's a small or medium or large
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: business or somebody who's an entrepreneur that says, you know what,
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: you got my attention. I kind of heard about Ronald
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: McDonald house, but I want to be partners. I maybe
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: want to do something, whether it's a large donation or
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: maybe it's a facility, or maybe they get their place
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: of work to come over and help out with volunteering
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: when it's coming to a larger scale. Is the best
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: that they contact you? How would you like them to
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: reach out to you?
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: Sure, Dennis, the best way is really to reach us
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: through that website address that I gave you www dot
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: RMHC dot org.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: I'm going to ask you a little bit about looking
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: ahead to next year, but I know that when you
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: run a nonprofit that you know you're always looking ahead,
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: sometimes several years in advance. And then also how other
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald houses maybe are doing it around the country
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: and talking to some of your peers as you talk
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: about growth in twenty twenty six and you make your
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: plan biggest priorities for serving families, What do you want
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: to do, what do you hope to achieve.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, our guiding vision is very clear, and that's to
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: serve more families better. In twenty twenty six, our priorities
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: will include launching in hospital programs Ronald McDonald family rooms
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: that will be located inside hospitals to help us meet
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: our families where they are on their medical journey. We
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: will focus on continuing to strengthen our food program because unfortunately,
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: more and more of our families are facing food insecurity
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: than ever before. And lastly, we'll really be deepening our
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: ability to measure outcomes so we can report back to
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: the community and share exactly how their support has transformed lives.
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what, that's really interesting and I want
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: to talk about that a little bit more because I
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: know follow up is always important in our lives, whatever
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: you do, especially what you and your team do. So
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: when you have a family there, are you getting real
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: time feedback while they're staying there or after the stay
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: is over? And then what do you do with it?
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: And then how do you get bet or after you
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: get set feedback?
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: Yes, we do.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: We survey our families before, during, and after.
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  Speaker 3: We try very hard.
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: To not assume that we know what's best for our families,
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: and so we compile the data we can compile information
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: that we're getting from families in order to help us
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: at priorities, but also to help us really understand how
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: best we can meet their needs.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: I wanted to talk a little bit about the relationship
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: because I think you mentioned there's a twenty institutions that
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: you work with and get the families set up for
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: you and then into the two houses. Can you talk
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: a little bit more about the relationship. I imagine there's
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: a lot of moving parts. There's a lot of communication
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: that you say is NonStop, and I imagine it is
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: all the time. But how does it work with all
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: the agencies about making sure that they reach out to
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: you and then your people and then how things kind
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: of work from there. I find that very curious because
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: I just I feel like there's a lot of moving
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: part cards for you.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah, there are.
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: One of the things that we've really focused on is
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: including representation from our medical partners on our board of directors,
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: and so our two largest medical partners are a Nova,
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: Fairfax and Children's National and we have board members who
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: are executives and represent the medical community for us. So
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: it boils down to really being present in hospital. Most
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: of our medical partners allow us the opportunity to engage
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: with them during meetings to remind staff again, caseworkers and
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: referring professional medical professionals who are referring patients to us
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: come through the hospital, and so we try to stay connected.
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: We try to keep them up to date with things.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: That are going on, issues that we're trying and resolve,
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: and really partner strategically with the medical institutions to be
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: able to comprehensively support our families.
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: Do you ever get a chance to get together with
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: some of your peers around the nation?
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I do at least once a year. So we
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: have a system that I think is really incredible in
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: that I can pick up the phone on any day
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: of the week and call another CEO from anywhere in
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: the country. Everybody is willing to share programs that have worked,
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: issues that they've resolved, so it is a wonderful community
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: always willing to help and support other chapters, and we
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: do get together at least once annually to just talk
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: about the variety of issues and opportunities that are facing
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: the families and our chapters.
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: Well, I wanted to talk a little bit about that
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: because I know that you know always getting funding is
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: a big deal and you're working very hard at that angle.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: But are there any other current challenges in twenty twenty
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: five that you and your team are facing that they
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: are presenting themselves, but you're finding solutions for them as well.
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: I would say the two greatest challenges that are facing
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: us right now beyond funding, are really focused on what
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: I mentioned earlier, and that is more and more of
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: our families are coming to us with food insecurity and the.
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: Others affordable housing.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: You can imagine if a family, if one of the
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: family members has to stop working, what that might do
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: financially to a family, and how that then may trickle
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: to family budgets, and how that may relate to meals
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: and housing and so all of that comes together, and
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: all of that really are issues that we're trying to
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: solve for as we support our families.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: By the way, if you don't mind me asking, I
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: think we last time we talked to you, you were
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: leading up to giving Tuesday. Do you mind if you
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: I don't know if you have final totals, but how
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: did it go?
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: It went really well.
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: We are very excited we as an organization are beginning
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: to really operate all the levers that are direct marketing
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: and giving. Tuesday allowed us an opportunity to really be
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: out on socials and digitally, and the community responded so
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: very excited about that, and of course that launches the
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: holiday season when so many other nonprofits US included, it's
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: really the biggest fundraising time of the year for us.
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: Forgive me for not knowing this, but I'm thinking that
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: families that are going through something very stressful, their mental
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: health is a really big deal for the whole family,
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: and especially there's other children there and siblings, grandparents, other relatives.
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: Is that addressed you volunteers come in and handle mental
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: awareness and health as well, or is that something that
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: you stay away from my I wasn't sure, but it
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: seemed like it could be something that might be addressed
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: possible because families are going through a very difficult time.
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, we don't provide those kind of.
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: Expert services, but what we do as a community member
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: is work very closely with other organizations in the community
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: for whom those are issues that they specifically address, so
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: we will refer families to other organizations and agentsies that
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: are focused on some of those issues.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: Well, that's wonderful. I appreciate you sharing that. I did
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: want to ask you because we have about maybe five
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: minutes left, and I know that you know you hear
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: so many stories. I know you don't get to experience
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: in them personally all the time. But whether it's you
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: or maybe talking to one of your staff members or
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: even some family that came back and said, Kimberly, this
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: was awesome what you and your staff did. Can you
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: maybe share one or two stories with us about I'm
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: sure it's life changing all the time, and there's also
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: some hard stories out there. But is there something that
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: you know, this is why we get up in the
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: morning kind of story for us that you can share
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: with us, no names or anything like that, no specificity.
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: Was there something that really touched you?
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it happened really recently. It was a little girl.
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: She has battling brain cancer and had only recently regained
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: the ability to walk. Her family checked into our house
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: in northern Virginia, and on the day that she had
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: received her first treatment, she asked her mom if she
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: was all done, and when her mom said yeah, it
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: was all over, she threw herself off the table and
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: insisted on walking herself down the hallway. She wouldn't let
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: her parents, she wouldn't let any of the medical staff
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: helped her. And when I think about just the gumption
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: that this little girl has, it sure makes it easy
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: to get up and do the work that we do
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: every day.
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: And I guess when you hear the hard stories, a
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: story like that really lifts you up and say I
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: can get up another day and keep on doing this.
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: You and your staff absolutely absolutely perspective, absolutely given daily.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: Right, Well, listen, we've got just a couple of minutes left.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: I want you to just maybe get some final thoughts
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: and recap what we've talked about. And I'd like to
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: talk once again about donations and volunteering because those are
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: so ultra important. And also there's one other thing I
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: want to ask you, because I know that two houses
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: are very ambitious, is there any chance that in the
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: next whether it's five ten years, any growth that you're
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: thinking of or talking about another house, or are you
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: very comfortable right now with the setup of the two houses?
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: Well, we are absolutely going to the Board of directors
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: and I are going to go through a strategic planning
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: process in twenty twenty six to identify just that, Dennis,
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: where where's the demand? How can we anticipate growth, How
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: can we be there and be able to provide support
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: for our families so there will be more soon on
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: our three to five year plan, and strategically, how we
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: anticipate managing that growth of support outstanding.
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: Well, let's get some final thoughts from you, and once again,
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: i'd love for you to talk about volunteering and donations
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: and if there's any events that are coming up in
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: the next several months. Kimberly, we'd love to hear about
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: that too, But the floor is yours.
• 24:11
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: Well, I think what I'm most excited about in the
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: coming year is really we're going to be able to
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: celebrate our forty sixth anniversary in June. So while I
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: mentioned earlier as a system Ronald McDonald House recently celebrated
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: fifty years, next year in June, we will celebrate our
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: forty sixth anniversary. I'm excited about the partnerships we're building
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: with medical partners and community organizations.
• 24:38
  Speaker 3: I'm excited about how much.
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: More we'll be able to support our families next year
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: beyond just the basics. And I'm also looking forward to
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: the global brand refresh that we'll be arriving in twenty
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: twenty six. It will give us new tools to tell
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: our stories, to honor our families, and to bring even
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: more clarity to our mission. And lastly, I'm just so
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: excited about them momentum in our volunteer community. We are
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: truly grateful for everything they do. The warmth and the
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: energy in our houses right now is really amazing.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: One last thing i'd like to ask you about before
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: we give the website one more time and sayah, goodbyes Kimberly,
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: is about your staff. And we mentioned them several times
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: during our conversation. And you don't necessarily have to name
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: anybody by name, but I imagine the staff that you've
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: handpicked and put together are just altra important because especially
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: the jobs that you do and that they do are
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: just absolutely incredible. Can you talk a little bit about
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: your people.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they are amazing, and they are exactly what you
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: might imagine. They are people who connect with our mission.
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: Our mission really resonates. They are always thinking about our families.
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: They have incredible empathy and the ability to really put
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: themselves in the shoes of our families and to try
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: to support them at what is just an awful time
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: for them to the best of our ability. I would
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: love to give a shout out to one of our
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: team members.
• 26:09
  Speaker 3: Her name is Celia. She has been with.
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: Us for thirty one years, and she is that person
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: that social workers and case workers send the referrals to.
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: She is the person that really can speak to what
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: our families need, and she is the person that I
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: just watch forever families come back and just light up
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: when they see her. So Celia is really one of
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: our special team members. All of our team works really hard,
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: but she's just been with us for a.
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: Very long time, three decades. That's absolutely extraordinary.
• 26:46
  Speaker 3: My goodness, Yes, yeah, she's amazing.
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: That is great. And then once again, many ways to give,
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: and there's a big red button says donate that's on
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: the website that Kimberly will give one more time and
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: you can give once, but there's also giving monthly, different
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: amounts that you can do. As we say, you can
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: do a car and you can volunteer your time with
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: food and all sorts of other ways, so please check
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: out the website. Kimberly, let's give that one more time
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: for our listeners.
• 27:10
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, thank you, Dennis.
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: It is r MHCDC dot org OURMHCDC dot org.
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: Outstanding Well, Kimberly, I'm glad that we could catch up
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: with you again before the holidays. Please give my best
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: to not only your staff but all the volunteers. You
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: do such wonderful work and we're so happy that the
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: two houses are there. There might be possible growth down
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: the line, and that iHeart is also a big just
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: partners with you in what you do. So we're great
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: and very happy that we could have you on Community DC.
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy honicut,
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: your entire staff and you. We really appreciate you joining
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: us on the program.
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: Thanks Dennis, We appreciate the time, and we are very
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: grateful for the partnership with iHeartMedia and you and right
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: back at you, wishing you a wonderful, happy holiday season.
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