WE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE'S LIFE

The Ronald McDonald House is on the campus of Banner Health's Cardon Children's Medical

Center in Mesa, Arizona. This house provides a "home away from home" for children and their families who travel to "The Valley" to receive treatment for serious, often life-threatening illnesses. Families stay for days, weeks, or sometimes months at a time while their children receive care.

My husband, Max Lambert, has been volunteering in the Ronald McDonald homes since 1992. And when our children were old enough, he started bringing them to volunteer as well. They make small packages with toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. As a family, we bring these "care packages" to the homes and distribute them.

Many families arrive at the homes in a rush and are not able to go shopping. This year, I took children from our extended community on our yearly delivery of the toiletries, and I told the home's administrators about the work WFWP is doing. As a result, they asked the Arizona Chapter to participate further by cooking a dinner for the families. With the additional financial support from the Family Federation for World Peace, we decided to cook an after-Thanksgiving meal. Max Lambert, Nate Guntermann, and Rumina Toska cooked like crazy all day and provided a holiday dinner feast for the 18 families staying at the location on the evening of November 28.

One of the parents was particularly grateful, because she had stayed in the hospital over Thanksgiving Day and so was surprised and so very happy to be given the chance to enjoy a late Thanksgiving meal. The Ronald McDonald House is a wonderful place and provides comfort, hope, and courage for families. We wanted to make a difference for families by providing not just toiletries--but offering our hearts through cooking as well.

As WFWP Chairwoman, Mrs. Rhia Nkulu so aptly said, "I'm glad we were able to make a difference in someone's life that day."