As college students, we are concerned about our future and how well our resume represents us. I guarantee you one section of that resume contains a portion of the volunteer work we have committed several hours to. I found myself as a new student at Florida State, looking for places to volunteer. I searched days for a place that would make an impact in my life and those around me. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tallahassee was that place for me.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities is a place that houses families that have a sick child in the intensive care unit. The Tallahassee house has housed several parents. I’ve met the kindest spirited people while volunteering, the small gesture of saying a simple hello or good morning means so much to them believe it or not. When I first started at RMHC, I found myself in awe of the built of the house and the care they provided for each family by making them feel at home. RMHC of Tallahassee houses eight families a night, parents travel from different parts of the United States for pediatric care at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. My first-day volunteering was one that I will always cherish because I was informed more about the RMHC and the difference that the loose change that people donated while purchasing a meal or just giving any amount in the small glass box at the front register did, it transformed the lives of families.
The responsibilities that I had around the RMHC included cleaning the rooms, making sure the bed was made. Sweeping around the house and moping was a chore that I also enjoyed doing, cleaning dishes, checking for expired food and tossing out any old or opened food. Daily house chores were what the families were responsible for, as a token of their stay but as a volunteer doing these things allowed them to leave the house quickly and be with their child at the hospital. Giving them one less thing to worry about gave me a sense of having a duty in their life. Volunteering involved keeping the rooms stocked, such as having toiletries in every room just in case someone forgot to bring any. The best place in the house that I enjoyed the most was the basement; this room had all the supplies like car seats and filled diaper bags that were donated from local churches and other places. Another room that always made my day was the children’s room, this was were the sibling(s) of the child in the ICU would play in and it was filled with books and toys for them to use as they stayed at RMHC.
The best feeling when volunteering is when parents leave RMHC because their baby got approved to be discharged from the hospital. Parents thanking me for doing the littlest thing is what I found to be the reason I give to this charity more, every time that I stop at McDonald’s to quench the coffee habits I know that it helps several families be closer to their baby. I hope you remember the babies that you have helped and families when donating the next time, you’re in McDonald’s.
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