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Monday, June 29, 1998
SUPER-SIZED HOUSE OF LOVE
A dream comes to fruition as the Ronald McDonald House opens, providing a home for families with sick children receiving medical attention at nearby facilities.
By Tanya Flanagan
Review-Journal
It's called "The house that love built."
In a central Las Vegas neighborhood, officials today will open the Ronald McDonald House, the realization of a goal 12 years in the making.
The home will provide families that have seriously ill or injured children a place to stay while the child is being cared for at a local medical facility.
Its location at 2323 Potosi St. -- near Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard -- was chosen because it is about equal distance from most of the valley's hospitals, said house manager Valerie Van Der Elst. Its services are expected to be used primarily by Nevadans living in remote areas.
Today's 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Las Vegas, she said, is the culmination of years of devotion to the idea.
Many of the people who now make up the home's 23-member board of trustees knew the need was there long ago, Van Der Elst said last week.
When they first approached the Chicago headquarters of Ronald McDonald Children's Charities with the proposal, they were turned down. The charity, which approves each home, said the Las Vegas valley's population at the time was too small.
But doctors at University Medical Center and Sunrise Children's Hospital on Maryland Parkway thought otherwise, and urged Van Der Elst and the others to fight for the facility.
As Las Vegas' population grew Van Der Elst's group reapplied and received permission in 1990 to pursue establishing the house.
Eight years later the public gets its first chance to see the facility today. The home will begin accepting its first guests July 6.
There are 195 Ronald McDonald homes in 16 countries. The first one was built in Philadelphia in 1974.
The home is for families of children who have serious illnesses or injuries, Van Der Elst said. She also anticipates having families with children who are neonatal patients.
Families will be referred by a hospital case manager. There will be a $10 nightly fee, but for those who can't afford it, other arrangements can be made. Van Der Elst said guests can live at the home up to a month. If an extended stay is needed, their case can be re-evaluated.
The 12,500-square-foot facility is equipped with 12 bedrooms, two of which are handicapped accessible, all with private baths. There are upstairs and downstairs TV rooms, a game room, laundry area, nursery, a double kitchen, dining area, and a storage facility. A landscaped courtyard has a playground and a statue of the home's namesake seated on a park bench.
The house was built at a cost of $650,000. Its furnishings were donated by local organizations, companies and community groups. With all the amenities, the home is valued at $3.6 million, said Van Der Elst.
"Everything in this house from the Spanish tile floors to the wall coverings is a gift," she said. "I truly look at this house as a community service and effort because everyone has bought into it in their own way."
Among the donations are ceramic tiles created by Clark County School District elementary school students. There are three tiles on the walls in each of the bedroom bathrooms.
A full-size doll house was donated by 8-year-old Alexandria Shaw.
"I think it speaks to the kindness that children can have in their hearts," said the youngster's grandmother, Glenda Shaw, a volunteer at the home. "For them to understand that this house will be here to help other children their age, and younger, and for her to give something is very special."
The home is mortgage-free, but Van Der Elst said $1 million is still needed for an endowment to maintain the home. She estimated the annual upkeep at $200,000, which would cover utilities, landscaping, supplies and other needs.
An ongoing fund-raiser allows people or businesses to purchase a room. Jerome Turk, Chief Executive Officer of Fitzgerald's and chairman of the Ronald McDonald House board of trustees purchased a bedroom for $50,000 after noticing a ceramic tile in the bathroom with the Jewish peace symbol.
Being Jewish, Turk said the tile expressed pride and unity.
For $10, donors can sponsor a night at the home for a family that cannot afford the fee. Donations can be made by calling 252-4663.
Volunteers will staff the house. Van Der Elst said no counselors will be on call at the house to give professional counseling, but warmth will be abundant.
"What we offer is love, shelter and a hug. And we try to be listeners because a lot of time the families want to talk," she said.
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The Ronald McDonald House sits near Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard. The home will provide families that have seriously ill or injured children a place to stay while the child is being cared for at a local medical facility.
The game room inside the Ronald McDonald House is filled with plush stuffed animals, a computer and video games. Families with a seriously ill or injured child will live at the house while the child undergoes treatment at a nearby hospital.
Photos by John Gurzinski.
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