Several years ago, my late law partner, Alan Bookman, invited me to attend a luncheon where the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida, Inc. (“RMHC”), was going to be providing a presentation. I accepted the invitation, not knowing anything about RMHC or the Ronald McDonald House (“House”).
During lunch, RMHC had a family who had stayed at the House speak to the group. They explained the medical crisis they had recently gone through, how they found out about the House from hospital staff, and the love, comfort, and support they received through staying at the House.
The family’s story moved me to tears, and at that moment, I knew that RMHC was an organization that I needed to support. For the last several years I have been fortunate to support RMHC physically by serving on the Board of Directors and as President of the Board of Directors, as well as financially through yearly contributions.
RMHC was founded in 1981 by community leaders who were concerned about the significant hardships incurred by families whose children were referred to Pensacola medical facilities for life-saving care. Recognizing the daily struggles of these families, the community embraced the construction of an initial six-bedroom house, which opened in 1984.
Today, through the continued support of the community, RMHC operates a 26-bedroom house, as well as a 3-bedroom, Ronald McDonald Family room, located on the 2nd floor within the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart.
The mission of RMHC is to love and support families of children with medical needs by giving them a place to call home. In 2022, RMHC served 531 families and provided them with 6,375 overnight stays at the House. In addition, the Ronald McDonald House Family Room hosted 388 families who sought rest, refreshment, and respite 1,966 times in 2022.
The goal of RMHC is to increase the access of undeserved families to vital healthcare services that improve their children’s health and quality of life, as a result, RMHC serves families without consideration of their ability to pay. On average, staying at the House saves each family $2,664, for a projected annual savings for all families served of $1,414,584. If you would like to become involved with RMHC, in any capacity, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or the wonderful staff at RMHC. To learn even more about RMHC, please visit their website: https://rmhc-nwfl.org/.
We at Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon understand that being a member of our community goes beyond providing legal services. We are happy to serve on the boards of local non-profits such as RMHC which work hard every day to make our community a better place to live. I hope you will join me in supporting the extremely valuable services provided by RMHC.
Adam J. White
Director, Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon, focusing on construction law and general civil litigation
*Note from Local Pulse Editor: Adam J. White is a part of our Community Voices series. Community Voices is a group of Pensacola dwellers that are making a difference in our city by sharing best practices, experiences, their perspective on impactful subjects, and contributing expertise that leads to movement forward for a stronger community.
