The “Family Stays” initiative sets a powerful goal while celebrating new perspectives across Canada and beyond.
Canadian health care services are often patchy, and that patchiness takes its toll on Canadians on multiple levels. In the midst of the difficulties that families with sick children face, one ray of hope is Ronald McDonald House (RMH), a nonprofit organization that provides immense support across Canada and globally for such families.
Nobody is ever ready for their child to get sick, but when such a situation arises, many questions follow. Figuring out where to stay and even answering questions like “What to eat?” when your child is in hospital can be difficult. This is when Ronald McDonald House offers its best support, so that families can fully focus on their child’s healing process.
Ronald McDonald House Canada has emerged as an essential service for families with hospitalized children, operating 16 Ronald McDonald Houses adjacent to 16 children’s hospitals and 20 family rooms located inside children’s hospitals.
With its latest campaign, Family Stays, RMH has taken another step, aiming to double the number of families it can serve by 2030. Based on the principle that “when a family stays, Ronald McDonald House Canada stays with them,” the campaign highlights the importance of close family support for a child in the hospital. Ronald McDonald House ensures that families are able to stay nearby to offer all possible support through the child’s healing journey.
Speaking about the goals of the new campaign, Stephanie Bateman, RMH’s director of brand engagement, says that the nonprofit has dived deeper into helping families understand exactly what the organization offers.
“Even though 96 per cent of Canadians have heard about Ronald McDonald House, many remain unsure as to what the organization does,” she says. “Many think that they provide accommodations around the hospital, but it is so much more than that.”
The Family Stays campaign focuses on educating the public on what that “more” is. The inspiration for the campaign came from the quest to do better in terms of support, which led to asking alumni families in Canada and around the world for their feedback. The powerful responses helped build a concept for the new campaign.
It allowed one family to share their perspective with another family, which led to the campaign celebrating different perspectives, whether that of a mother, father, sibling or the sick child him-, her- or themselves.
The Family Stays campaign brings the work of Ronald McDonald House to life through the eyes of these families. Stephanie recalls one such story: “A family from Saskatchewan came with their ill son. Later in the journey, their second son also became ill. The sons were alone with their mother. What Ronald McDonald House did was to call their grandparents there as well. The organization strongly believes that no matter how big or small the family is, everyone should be welcomed.” With the latest campaign, the organization has taken an important step, telling all families that Ronald McDonald House Canada is always there for them. Whether dealing with the mental, emotional or financial toll of a child’s illness on a family, the organization offers a helping hand to them through every step of their journey. The campaign is based on the poignant principle that “when one family stays, Ronald McDonald House Canada stays with them.”
INTERVIEW BY MARC CASTALDO
