4 Major Ways Your McHappy Day® Donation Can Help Seriously Ill Children And Their Families

Brighten a family's day this McHappy Day®!

McHappy Day® is right around the corner — on Saturday November 19 — and there are so many reasons to donate and help support the essential work Ronald McDonald House Charities does.

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Here are just some of the ways your generosity will help:

1. You'll help RMHC to continue to provide a home-away-from-home for seriously ill children and their families.

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Your donations will go towards supporting 18 Ronald McDonald Houses across Australia — all of which are homes-away-from-home for seriously ill children and their families, who would otherwise need to travel long and stressful distances to obtain medical treatment for their child.

The Ronald McDonald Houses are close to nearby hospitals, which ease the burden of travel for their parents, guardians and siblings. The average cost to provide support for one family across the RMHC® Programs for one night is $160. These programs ensure seriously ill children and their families receive compassionate support from friendly staff and volunteers, as well as a warm and inviting place to regroup during and between treatment.

Meanwhile, $500 can ensure that buildings, furniture and outdoor play areas at Ronald McDonald Houses are maintained, so that RMHC families feel right at home.

2. You'll help RMHC to maintain support spaces in hospitals.

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Anyone who has ever stepped inside a hospital knows they can be daunting and clinical-feeling spaces. That's why RMHC run 20 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms inside major hospitals around Australia. These are warm and welcoming spaces, where families can take a break from the more clinical-feeling hospital environment. They can freshen up with a shower, take a nap or have a cup of tea or coffee. There are even dedicated play areas provided for their siblings to enjoy!

3. You'll support tutoring for missed education due to serious illness.

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School-aged children can miss out on consistent education due to extensive treatments and recovery times. The Ronald McDonald Learning Program is specifically created to ease this process and helps ill children with catching up on what they've missed. 

Your donations will go towards a whole host of educational support services, such as one-on-one tutorials and individually tailored classroom needs — all of which help students stay on top of their learning and help ease them back into classroom life.

Just $50 can cover an hour of tutoring for a student who needs to catch-up on the education they've missed due to serious illness.

4. You'll help provide families staying in hospital with practical support and comfort.

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Hospital life can really take its toll — which is why Ronald McDonald House Charities launched the RMHC Hospitality Cart in 2019 to help make time spent in hospital a little more bearable.

In 2021, 186 families were provided with items from the RMHC Hospitality Cart, which specifically supports the Paediatric Ward and Special Care Nursery.

Carrying everything from boredom-busters, to practical care items like toiletries, and snacks and beverages to seriously ill children and their families, the RMHC Hospitality Cart is so much more than just a well-stocked cart. It's even stacked with a range of great books and entertainment — provided for children to enjoy with their siblings and parents.

Run by RMHC's incredible volunteers, who not only take time to stock the cart and deliver the goods, the cart also provides essential social connection as volunteers consistently check-in with sick children and their families, to ensure they have everything they need.

No matter why you choose to donate, know that you are making a positive impact in the lives of seriously ill or injured children and their families.

And it's as easy as ever to contribute!

Here are all the ways to get on board and donate in the lead up to and on this McHappy Day, Saturday 19 November:

Collect a pair (or more) of Silly Socks.

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Treat your toes and stock up on a pair of Silly Socks for just $5. While you're at it, why not treat your family and your friends too? With 100% of all profits going directly to RMHC, this'll be the best addition to your wardrobe yet. There are two designs to collect and they feature Macca’s® iconic Big Mac® and Fries.

Pick up some Helping Hands.

Snag yourself a Helping Hand for either $2, $10 or $50! Every dollar goes directly towards RMHC, so you can rally the troops and take home as many as you can!

Sink your teeth into a Big Mac.

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On McHappy Day, Saturday 19 November, you can dig into a delicious Big Mac and celebrate knowing $2 from every Big Mac sold goes directly to RMHC. 

Stay hydrated with a bottle of Cool Ridge Water from Macca's.

With 10 cents from each bottle of Cool Ridge water sold at Macca’s going directly to RMHC every single day of the year, it's another great reason to stay hydrated!

And finally, you always have the option to donate directly to RMHC.

To provide direct life changing support to seriously injured and ill children and their families this McHappy Day, visit the McHappy Day Donation Portal here.

Any donation, no matter how large or small, can make an impact in the lives of seriously ill or injured children and their families — so save the date and help make an impact this McHappy Day!