Ronald McDonald House celebrates the groundbreaking of new home

2,100 families will be able to stay at the house each year.

VANCOUVER, June 7, 2012 /CNW/ - Ronald McDonald House B.C. & Yukon and Premier Christy Clark today celebrated the groundbreaking of a new larger $28.8-million house on the campus of B.C. Children's and B.C. Women's Hospitals. This new LEED Gold facility will be completed by late fall 2013 to serve a greater number of families across the province whose children are undergoing medical treatment.

"Our government is proud to support the invaluable work of Ronald McDonald House. This new facility will help an estimated 2,100 B.C. families every year during the most difficult circumstances a parent could ever imagine," said Premier Clark. "The house allows families that are travelling from across the province for treatment at B.C. Children's Hospital or Sunny Hill Health Centre to stay together, easing the emotional and financial strain for parents so they can focus on supporting and caring for their child."

"The new house will be a long-term investment in the community, and help more than 20,000 B.C. families in the first 10 years alone," said Richard Pass, CEO of Ronald McDonald House B.C. & Yukon. "Thank you to our major donors including the Province of British Columbia. Without your support, this dream wouldn't be possible. We will be able to serve so many more families and continue to never turn away a family in need."

Ronald McDonald House B.C. & Yukon in Vancouver serves families from B.C., Yukon and Western Canada. The facility serves as a vital resource for families with children undergoing treatment at B.C. Children's Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children.

"Our son Jasper was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2011. Immediately we were facing both the threat to his life, which was devastating, but also the problem of where to live during his treatment," said Barb from Powell River. "We started living at Ronald McDonald House in the middle of December and discovered this wonderful home where we can spend all our energy focused on Jasper without the worry about the cost of accommodation. We receive many meals and groceries and the support of volunteers and other families who understand the ups and downs of this journey. But the most important thing is that it has given Jasper a home where we can all be together and where he can make friends who relate to him and still let him be a kid.

"Hopefully we will be finished treatment soon and be able to go home. But we will always have another home and family here at the Ronald McDonald House and we will never forget the gift and the blessing of the House that Love Built."

Each year, approximately 400 families call it 'home'. In the past five years, 2,147 families have been welcomed to the house. The new Ronald McDonald House B.C. & Yukon will be able to serve 2,100 families in one year alone.

The house eases the emotional and financial strain of being away from the comfort of home and allows families to fully concentrate on giving love and support to their children. This, in turn, enhances the medical outcomes of treatment while strengthening the families that are facing very real and difficult challenges.

With the help of British Columbians, this will truly be a house that love built. Approximately 20 per cent of the $28.8-million project still needs to be raised through donations. For information on how to donate, call 604-736-2957 or visit: https://www.rmhbc.ca/newhouse/donate.

For a virtual tour of the new house, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkBXJIzMzR0. Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/rmhbc and Twitter twitter.com/RMHBC).

Media contact:

Richard Pass
Chief Executive Officer
Ronald McDonald House B.C. & Yukon
604-813-0316
[email protected]