Ronald McDonald Family Room starts “Meals from the Heart” program
05/26/22 11:41:am
The Ronald McDonald Family Room® at Rogers has launched “Meals from the Heart,” where employees prepare snacks, desserts, or make-ahead-meals for guest families.
Ideal for groups of five to seven, the program is an easy, fun, and rewarding team-building opportunity that allows you to serve Rogers families in a new and innovative way.
“It gives staff the chance to bond outside the scope of their daily work, while also providing them with a first-hand experience of the Family Room,” says Kelly Levenhagen, Family Room manager. “We are excited for employees to learn more about this welcoming space and how it benefits patient families.”
For more than a decade, Ronald McDonald House Charities® Eastern Wisconsin has been serving families with children seeking treatment at Rogers. In fact, about 12% of the families staying overnight at the Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee are Rogers families.
Our Ronald McDonald Family Room, located in the Ladish Co. Foundation Center, is a home-like setting where patients and their loved ones can take a break from the clinical environment of the hospital to relax, get some work done, and enjoy complimentary food and beverages.
“Offering the comfort of a good meal or snack truly makes a difference for families,” Kelly says. “We are excited that staff can help by participating in Meals from the Heart, and we encourage you to consider this as an upcoming team-building opportunity.”
All food and supplies are provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities® Eastern Wisconsin. It takes about an hour-and-a-half to complete the activity depending on the menu.
Staff from the Research Center are one of the groups who have so far participated.
“The Research Center team is really proud to share the Ladish Center with the Ronald McDonald Family Room and to see firsthand the impact of our programs on our patient families,” says Kelly Piacsek, vice president, Research. “Together with Kelly Levenhagen, we were talking about ways that the Research Center team could get more engaged with the Family Room, and the ‘Meals from the Heart’ idea came to life. We had so much fun coming together as a team to shop for ingredients and prepare snacks and meals to help families get through difficult days while their loved ones are healing.”
If you would like to sign up or if you have any questions, please contact Kelly Levenhagen at klevenhagen@rmhc-easternwi.org. Availability is offered throughout the week, with daytime and evening flexibility to meet your team’s needs. A flyer is available for download here.
Food and beverages provide families the comfort of home
“Restaurants have not always been a positive experience for our family, so this gave us a chance to eat together in a quiet environment and catch up.”
“Our daughter had her first snack with the family in a very long time!”
“It was so nice to have fresh food available; I was getting really tired of eating fast food. Thank you!”
