AkronAkron

INSIDE:LIAM’S RARE ILLNESS THREATENED TO DIVIDE HIS FAMILY.

96% of our funding comes from you.

Help us provide 24/7 hugs.

DONATE YOUR TIME, TOO! EXPLORE THE MANY WAYS YOU CAN VOLUNTEER OR MAKE A DIFFERENCE AT RMHAKRON.ORG.

UPCOMING EVENTS

VIP Peek at our new House Saturday, September 9 at Ronald McDonald House Akron

We’re pushing aside the sawhorses

to make room for an evening of

dining, drinking and donating at our

House-in-progress. To learn more, contact

us at aristea@RMHAkron.org or 330-253-5400.

Summit County Farm Bureau’s

Plow to Chow Thursday, July 13 at The Winery at Wolf Creek

Sign up for an evening of wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment.

Proceeds benefit RMH of Akron. Register by calling

Jan Weaver at 1-800-654-5158.

This will be the third year that the Portage

Lakes Polar Bear Club will donate proceeds

to RMH of Akron. Stay tuned for details!

15th Annual Polar Bear Jump February, 2018 at Portage Lakes State Park

96%$90 $175

covers the cost to operate one guest room for one night.

provides all families with fresh sheets

and towels for one

week.

of our operating budget come from donors like you.

covers a full, hot dinner for all guests for one night.

$225covers all house water usage for an entire week.

$200

135

10,000volunteers work

hours annually to help keep our House humming.

We’re nearly ready to raise the roof.Our 42-room expansion is

progressing right on schedule

for completion by the end of

this year. Workers are currently

framing the top floor, and the

roofing won’t be far behind.

Take a Hard Hat Tour of our new site.Get a sneak peak of our construction!

Beginning June 1st, we’ll be offering

tours for individuals and groups to

view our new addition before our

doors officially open in early 2018.

Watch our Facebook page and

website for details. To schedule

your tour, contact us at

aristea@RMHAkron.org or

330-253-5400.

EXPANSION UPDATE:

“�Ronald�McDonald�House�brought�our�family�together� during�the�worst�time�of�our�lives.”

After young Liam’s stem cell transplant at

Akron Children’s Hospital, we welcomed his

entire family for the next 100 days. As he

improved, our families and staff joyfully joined

him in RC car races and epic nerf gun wars.

“When our life came to a halt, our family was divided. The House let us create new memories together.”

The Fiocca family had already

been through months of terrifying

illness and testing. After 5 year-old

Liam contracted viral hepatitis, it

transitioned to rare aplastic anemia.

A bone marrow transplant was his

only option. Luckily, his older sister

Talia was a perfect match and felt

honored to save her brother’s life.

Without Ronald McDonald House,

his mother Alexis would have slept

in Liam’s hospital room while his

two sisters and father Pat stayed

at home. Even worse, they would

have been apart over Christmas.

ALEXIS AND PAT FIOCCAUNIONTOWN, OH

“RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE FACILITATES A CAMARADERIE AMONG FAMILIES SO THEY CAN HELP EACH OTHER.” PAT FIOCCA

$300PROVIDES

30 NIGHTS LODGING

$30PROVIDES 3 NIGHTS LODGING

$60PROVIDES 6 NIGHTS LODGING

$90PROVIDES 9 NIGHTS LODGING

Fellowship and family got them through it.

Liam’s school mates put up a tree at

the House and church friends delivered

gifts in an ambulance decorated with

hundreds of Christmas lights. Pat and

the girls stayed for two weeks and

celebrated Christmas morning here

with Liam and Alexis. Once they started

back to school, they returned every

weekend with their dad.

“You’re in a place where most people

have their worst nightmares,” said

Pat. “But we tried to bring joy to the

other families. We’ll be connected to

them forever.”

Share-a-Night�offers� different�levels�of�giving.

Buy�a� and�leave� your�mark.

The light at the end of a long tunnel.

Liam’s doctors had never seen a

kid come through transplant so well.

Before long, our staff was stopping

work to play monster trucks and nerf

gun shootouts with him. “They truly

embraced us,” said Alexis. “They even

let us bring our dog for a visit.”

The transplant was a success and

Liam continues to improve. He even

got a VIP tour of the new House

construction and long-stay rooms.

According to him, the privacy and

play areas will be “epic.”

Memorialize your gift with

your name on a brick in our

new backyard play area. Our Brick

Buying Program offers individual

bricks for $500 each. To learn more,

contact us at aristea@RMHAkron.org

or 330-253-5400.

“RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE FACILITATES A CAMARADERIE AMONG FAMILIES SO THEY CAN HELP EACH OTHER.” PAT FIOCCA