APRIL 2022
97 Nights
Family Story
The Rodrigo Family After several years of misdiagnosis, 16-yearold Jose “Tony” Rodrigo was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in August 2020. Tony’s chronic stomach problems were initially attributed to celiac disease, and being unable to nail down the right combination of foods, he endured the pain for years.
with a COVID-19 diagnosis,
resulted in Tony being airlifted to Fargo in October 2020.
His mother, Nyomi Pimiento,
was by his side for 10 straight days, which included two
surgeries to treat his inflamed intestines.
Nyomi often jokes that Tony,
meek and mellow-tempered, is a perfect child.
The day her parents arrived, they checked
“Tony is a great kid. He is always willing to
time at the hospital by Tony’s side, she did
into RMHC. While Nyomi spent most of her
help,” she said.
return to the house occasionally to shower
emergency room in Dickinson, North
As Nyomi prepared for her parents, Tony’s
ensure that someone was always keeping
family initially thought was appendicitis.
sought help from hospital staff to find a
with specialists, Tony was diagnosed with
to the Ronald McDonald House in Fargo
a breath of fresh air—to talk about how your
time.
revolve around a sickness, and focus on
In the fall of 2020, he landed in the
and rest. She switched off with her father to
Dakota, with unbearable pain that the
grandparents, to come up from Texas, she
watch over Tony.
Following a week of appointments and tests
place for them to stay. The hospital’s referral
“It was nice just to be able to get out and get
provided stability during a very uncertain
day was going, a conversation that didn’t
Crohn’s disease and spent the next several months
in and out of the hospital. A more serious bout of
related symptoms, along
“It was a complete blessing to have that location available to us,” Nyomi said.
something else,” Nyomi said.
Home cooked meals in the family kitchen were also a highlight for the family.
Continued on pg. 2
The Rodrigo’s Family continued
RMHC. They could not have been more
“We experienced firsthand that the
turkey meal and kept the families company
receives really are placed accordingly,”
grateful for the volunteers who made the on a holiday away from home.
What might seem like a minor donation
they visited him on school breaks and long
family. For Nyomi, that donation came in
weekends. Nyomi was amazed by the
generosity and variety of donations made to the house as well as the top-notch,
hotel-like services and amenities that were available for the entire family.
sick of, it was takeout food,” Nyomi said. The family uses cooking as an outlet as Jose, Nyomi’s husband, is a chef. Jose shared his Columbian heritage through
delicious, authentic meals to the delight
“I always tell my kids that you don’t know how good you have it until you don’t. The Ronald McDonald House is a definite godsend. It is just amazing—a blessing in all aspects.” - Nyomi Pimiento
She expressed gratitude to the donors
family again. All in all, the family spent
donations were used responsibly and
two consecutive Thanksgiving holidays at
the form of a protein drink she found in the pantry. During recovery, Tony struggled to gain strength. Due to the damage to his
intestines and the amount of time he was unable to eat, his body had a hard time
digesting food. The protein drink Nyomi
recovering boy and served as a tremendous help in nourishing him.
This past winter, Tony returned home to
Dickinson where he continues to recover and focus on school, which he missed
greatly. He hopes to finish his junior year
this spring and work on finding a school in Texas to study architecture.
the fall of 2021 and returned to Fargo for additional care, RMHC was there for his
to RMHC may in fact be a godsend for a
found in the pantry was medicine for her
of other families and staff.
When Tony experienced a setback in
Nyomi said.
Tony’s three younger siblings also
experienced the hospitality of RMHC as
“If there was one thing I was completely
donations the Ronald McDonald House
and commended RMHC for making sure directly to benefit families.
A NOTE FROM
Jill Christopher Executive Director
As the grass turns green, it brings a renewed sense of hope. We are feeling refreshed here at the Ronald McDonald House as we open the doors to our seven-room expansion. This $350,000 project means fewer families will have to wait for a room and more families will be helped in 2022 and beyond. I would be remiss to not thank the wonderful individuals and organizations who made this project a reality through their generous donations, both monetary and in-kind. It is an honor to be entrusted with your resources for the good of the families we serve. We truly could not do what we do without your incredible support. Thank you for helping us to serve more families each year and minimize waitlist times for families. I encourage you to read more about the project and the donors that made this possible in this newsletter.
Thanks, and happy Spring!
Before
More Room, More Love Ronald McDonald House is growing to better serve families We are thrilled to announce the opening of seven additional rooms at our Ronald McDonald House in Fargo! March 2022 marked the completion of a 6-month, $350,000 expansion allowing us to now serve a total of 24 families each night.
After
When the new house was completed in 2018, we intentionally planned for future expansion. While we didn’t anticipate needing more space quite so quickly, we knew that our
partner hospitals would continue to increase specialty care
offerings for children, meaning more families traveling to Fargo for care for their children. In 2021, an average of 20 families
Bathroom
per month were not able to stay at our facility on the day that they first needed a room.
Accommodation needs are a significant stressor for families
of critically ill children, particularly when they are traveling far distances. This expansion allows families to set aside some
of the worries that come with seeking medical care away from home and focus on what’s most important: getting their child healthy.
RMHC is a special place. Lives are changed for the better
thanks to the spirit of hospitality and generosity within our community. We are grateful for all of you that invest in our
mission. Through your gifts of volunteer service and financial and in-kind support, your heart makes our house a home.
A special thank you to our contractor, Chad Bartholomay, and the generous individuals and organizations who contributed to this project:
• •
RMHC Global Colin & Kristina Neuharth in honor of Kathryn Neuharth
•
Crosses for Cameron in memory of Cameron Bolton • Gary and Judy Kubalak in memory of Charity Mae • Chuck and Bethann Crary Kohlman • Joe and Marie Talley and family • Faithkeepers in memory of in memory of Ryan James Faith Westby Meade
• • • • • • •
ADPi Twitch Music Community Solid Comfort Tempur-Pedic La-Z-Boy Sherwin Williams Numerous Anonymous Donors
:
Giving Hearts Day
Recap
It’s a wrap! Giving Hearts Day is in the record books and your incredible generosity is now hard at work serving families with critically ill children.
help keep families together and provide the
Giving Hearts Day only comes once a
Ambassador team and all those who
our community fuels our mission all year
at our House: Caitlin Stoecker, Razor
community, and hope. This year, more than
Wimer, Deanna Nordling, Kay Exner,
by donating to RMHC of the Red River
Ostrowski and the fabulous team at
comforts of home while their kids receive medical care. Special thanks to Nodak Insurance Company, Dakota Medical
Foundation, and two anonymous donors for providing matching funds this year. We’re also grateful to our Gratitude
year, but the outpouring of support from
made Giving Hearts Day a festive day
long as we provide comfort, stability,
Consulting, Skip Espeseth, Shauna
700 donors showed their Heart of a Hero
Delaney Rick, Katie Rizzo, Jeremy
Valley on Giving Hearts Day. Our most
Tellwell.
sincere thanks to our hundreds of friends and supporters—our heroes—for your
generosity! Your gifts to Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley
The Nelson Family
Guests enjoyed the ever-popular silent
Sweetheart Ball
and live auction, a heads and tails game,
Recap
Bubbles and Bling contest, photo booth,
and live music from The Deadbeats. The program featured updates from board
On February 12, over 450 Ronald McDonald House supporters gathered for the 33rd Annual Sweetheart Ball presented by McDonald’s Restaurants of the Red River Valley. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us either in-person or online!
Presenting S ponsor
heartfelt mission moment from Luann
Nelson. Over the course of almost four years, the Nelson family stayed at our
Ronald McDonald House 91 nights while
their youngest son, Lawson, received the care he needed to conquer cancer. After
getting a glimpse into the Nelsons’ RMHC experience, attendees were inspired to contribute to our Share A Night fund,
which helps ensure that families can stay with us regardless of their ability to pay.
enough to fully fund the costs associated
of the Red River Valley
Mission Moment S ponsor
with providing a guest room to a family in need for 509 nights.
Our deepest gratitude to our Sweetheart
Production & Event S ponsors
Midwest Communications
Director Jill Christopher along with a
In a matter of minutes, attendees raised
McDonald’s Restaurants
Medi S ponsor
president Katie Rizzo and Executive
Ball Committee for planning and
executing this year’s event. An event like this doesn’t just happen; it takes a lot of
hard work and preparation. From planning the menu to decorating the venue, this
Platinum S ponsors
group spends countless hours putting
together an amazing evening. Fantastic
job—we appreciate all of your hard work!
Dessert S ponsor Beverage S ponsor Jewelry S ponsor :
Gold S ponsors Aldevron Atos
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
Fargo Center for Dermatology
Dawson Insurance/ Marsh and McLennan Agency
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
Bayer Beverly Boone
Foss Architecture & Keurig Dr. Pepper Interiors Network Center, Inc. Josef’s School of Hair, Office Sign Company Skin & Body Prairie St. John’s
R.D. Offutt Company The Coca-Cola Company Xcel Energy
Table S ponsors Alerus Bell Bank Brady Martz & Associates Connie Biselx – Thrivent
Dakota Medical Foundation Dale Carnegie Training of ND & NW MN Dave and Jeanne Johnsen
Eide Bailly First Community Credit Union Flint Group Heritage Homes & Berkshire Hathaway
HomeServices Premier Properties
Madison and Michael Quamme
James & Jessica Duletski
Nick & Shauna Wimer
Light Consulting + Coaching
Committee Members Alyssa Davis Amanda Buth Amber Blomberg Ann Werlinger Bella Lien Jo Hatfield
Katie Bjornson Laura Kleihauer Penny Schellack Randylyn Dombek Savana Savageau Sheri Batesole
SAF Enterprises Turman & Lang LTD (2)
PRESENTED BY M C D O N A L D ’ S R E S TA U R A N T S O F T H E R E D R I V E R VA L L E Y
of the Red River Valley
33rd Annual
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY TWO
RMHC
Volunteers “I am a retired RN with most of my career spent working in labor & delivery. I have a heart for parents & families with newborn babies that need a little extra TLC. I enjoy visiting with parents and hearing their stories. I share their excitement as their babies make progress to going home soon. I enjoy making them comfortable in their space in the RMHC Family Room, allowing them to relax, have a meal or snack or maybe just have some much needed downtime.” - Donna Aho
Volunteers are essential to providing families comfort and support during their stay at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley. By sharing their unique talents, time, and hearts, volunteers truly make our house feel like a home for our guest families. As we celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Month, we want to recognize the generous hearts in all of our volunteers!
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES: • • •
Front Desk Family Room at Essentia Health Baking
• • • •
Share-A-Meal Cleaning Maintenance Special Projects
Sign up to share your time and talents with RMHC today! Call 701.232.3980 or email volunteer@rmhcfargo.org “After many years of Happy Harry’s partnering with RMHC on many events, I felt it was a great opportunity and organization to expose my son to what giving back to those in need is all about. Being able to share our time as a family at the RMHC is time well spent that we will always cherish.” - Jay Odland
Blue Cross Blue Shield “I can’t imagine the stress and burden the children and families go through, and this is my small way of helping them and hopefully shouldering some of the load.” - Skip Espeseth
Many of our volunteer shifts are covered through employee volunteer opportunities! We are grateful to the many generous employers who provide opportunities for their employees to engage with causes close to their heart. If your team is looking for a great opportunity to connect outside of the office, please consider opportunities at RMHC. We’d love to have you!
SAVE THE
Date 21stAnnual
RMH Ride
Saturday June 11th, 2022 VFW, New York Mills
Plans are underway for the 21st Annual RMH Ride. The festivities include camping, live music, silent auction, raffle, delicious dinner and an amazing ride winding its way through the beautiful woods and lakes of central Minnesota. This event is planned and coordinated by RMH Ride, a 501c3 non-profit organization, with proceeds benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley.
Learn more at rmhride.com
23rdAnnual Ronald McDonald House
Golf Tournament Monday July 18th, 2022
Meadows Golf Course, Moorhead
Save the date “Fore” fun! The Annual RMHC Golf Tournament is coming up on July 18th, 2022. We can’t wait to see you at the Meadows Golf Course. Registration opens May 15. Check out www.rmhcfargo.org for more information or contact Jakelle at 701-232-3980 or jakelle@rmhcfargo.org. Sponsorships are currently available!
Step inside RMHC and take a peek! We’re delighted to partner with Be More Colorful to offer a 360-degree tour of our Ronald McDonald House and our Ronald McDonald Family Room. We invite you to be our guest! Scan this QR Code for a tour
4757 AGASSIZ CROSSING S FARGO, ND 58104