06 Jan A New Year’s Message from RMHC-CR

It’s the beginning of a new year, and 2022 is a big one for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region (RMHC-CR). As always, we remain focused on our mission to deliver and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families. We are also excited to celebrate 40 Years of Love this year. Our Ronald McDonald House opened its doors on June 30, 1982, and since then more than 20,000 families have experienced the warm embrace of “The House That Love Built.”

We have much to celebrate and look forward to in 2022. As we continue to carry out the mission of RMHC-CR in our 40^th year, we must also acknowledge the ongoing effects of COVID-19 in our community. Since March of 2020, we have made numerous adjustments to our program operations to minimize risk and prevent the spread of infectious disease. Thanks to the tremendous compassion of our community, we have been able to support every family in need of our services through the many ups and downs of the pandemic.

Given the current increase in positive case numbers, we are again making adjustments to our operations to protect the health and well-being of those we serve. Beginning Thursday, January 6, we will implement the following changes on a temporary basis:

• Ronald McDonald House: RMHC-CR will resume providing local hotel accommodations, meal gift cards and other resources to support families who need a place to stay close to their child in the hospital. A limited number of families already residing at the Ronald McDonald House will remain. The House will be staffed by essential employees only, and we will serve individual, professionally-prepared meals from local restaurants during this time.
• Ronald McDonald Family Room: RMHC-CR will continue to operate the Ronald McDonald Family Room to provide refreshments and resources to families within the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med. The Family Room will be staffed by essential employees only, and hours of operation will be limited. The Family Room will be open Monday through Friday from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. until further notice.

Our highest priority continues to be fulfilling our mission in a way that protects the health and well-being of the families we serve, our dedicated volunteers and staff, and the greater Capital Region community in which we operate. Enhanced safety protocols remain in place for each of our programs, and we are working closely with RMHC Global, the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med, and local public health authorities to be proactive and responsive to the continually changing conditions of the pandemic.

As an organization that relies entirely on local volunteers and donors, we know that the changes outlined above will have a significant impact. As was the case for much of 2020, we expect to incur increased costs as we provide hotel accommodations, professionally-prepared meals, and other assistance for families during this time. Support from our community allows RMHC-CR to be there for every family who needs us. We thank you for your continued compassion and generosity in 2022.