Our Impact

2023

A year of milestones

When a child falls ill, the lives of the whole family are turned upside down in an instant. Suddenly, daily hospital visits, medical updates and constant worry become part of their daily routine. At RMHC West Michigan, we recognize the immense burden that families face during this challenging time. We provide a home base with comfortable, free accommodations, meals and community resources to help care for their well-being. Thanks to your generous support, we can help eliminate extra stressors to allow parents to focus on their child.

2023 has been a year of remarkable milestones:

For the first time in our 33-year history, we have expanded the house from 17 to 25 rooms to keep even more families close to their hospitalized child.

The updated kitchen and dining room provide a space for families to cook, eat, and recharge. Connecting with other families facing similar challenges provides a sense of belonging, encouragement, and mutual support as they navigate ups and downs of a medical crisis.
The volunteer kitchen provides a separate space for volunteer prepared home-cooked meals and treats while maintaining privacy for families.

The “More Rooms, More Love” campaign brought together multiple individuals, foundations and companies to fund the project. We will continue to raise money into 2024 for a new playground and to cover additional operating costs.

None of these achievements would be possible without YOU—our generous donors, dedicated Board of Directors, committed staff and devoted volunteers. We are grateful for the unwavering support and the shared belief that family truly is the best medicine any sick or injured child needs. I am honored to be a part of this remarkable place. Thank you for standing by us during this year of change and keeping families together when it matters most!

Ellen Carpenter
Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Charities West Michigan

DOWNLOAD THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT

When the Stolicker’s son was born prematurely at 24 weeks, they faced a long hospital stay. Fortunately, thanks to our donor community’s effort to ensure sustainability, the Ronald McDonald House was available to provide accommodations that allowed the family to remain close to their new born instead of enduring long commutes.

Allison and Ridgen Stolicker
Length of Stay: 122 Nights

Family Impact

By the Numbers

Ronald McDonald House Charities West Michigan provides a free place to stay for families who travel 30 miles or more to receive hospitalized medical or mental health care in Grand Rapids for their child. We ensure families have a comfortable place to sleep, meals, transportation, and laundry facilities to support families during hospitalization.

$533,870

Cost Offset

144

Families Housed

2,710

Nights Occupied

122

Nights – Longest Stay

19

Nights – Average Stay

48

Counties Served

In 2023, families staying at the Ronald McDonald House traveled from all over the state.

Your Support

By the Numbers

The hard work, dedication, and generosity of our volunteers and donors enable us to provide essential amenities to the families staying here. Our main goal is to ensure that the stay for these families is as comfortable and stress-free as possible. With the assistance of volunteers and donors, we can make that a reality.

$70,000

In-Kind Support

1,665

Donors

2,543

Pounds of Pop Tabs

500

Snack Bags

2,430

Treat Batches Made

4,000

Meals Prepared

3,150

Hours Donated by 1,300 volunteers

Our Home

House Updates

When families stay with us we aim to provide a peaceful and relaxing environment. During the closure due to construction, we made some necessary updates in order to better serve our families and their needs.

Updated kitchen spaces better serve both families and volunteers.

Members of our board prepare meals in our renovated volunteer kitchen.

Original rooms received sound mitigation to ensure families can have a relaxing sleep while at the House.

2023 Board of Directors

Mike Dunlap, Board President
Drew Rodewald, Vice Chair
Josh Laramy, Treasurer
Adam Clarke, Secretary
Andrew Grashuis
Ross Bartlett
Ken Berg
Ashley Chalk
Lindel Hoff
Xuesi Li Gurney
Lisa Manor
Tom Moore
Lori Schulz
Tricia Shangle
Brittney Smith
Scott Timmer
Kristen Williams

McDonald’s

Our Founding Partner

Our relationship with McDonald’s, our founding and forever mission partner, has been a constant source of inspiration and a key to our ongoing success. Although we are not funded directly by McDonald’s, the House receives financial support from local McDonald’s Owner/Operators and customers through Round-Up, coin boxes, and seasonal promotions like the Shamrock Shake campaign.

$319,557

Customer Donations

$134,745

Shamrock Shake + Happy Meal Promotions

Staying here allowed me to focus on getting my son back home. It allowed us to make it financially and I cannot even express the impact that staying here has made. Thank you all so much!

RMHC Family
Length of stay: 78 nights

Collection Drives

2023

Our community is an incredible force when it comes to supporting the Ronald McDonald House Charities West Michigan. We’re grateful for collection drives that allow us to come together for a good cause. This year, we hosted two key collection drives: food for families, where we requested pantry staples, and Santa’s Workshop, where we requested new toys for families. Thanks to our amazing community, both events were a huge success.

Food for Families Collection Drive

Members of the Red Shoe Society at the Food for Families Drive

Santa’s Workshop

2023 Financials

Revenue by Source

Individuals/Corporate

Grants

Local McDonald’s Customers

Events

Other

Total Expenses: $1,220,989

Total Ending Assets: $4,941,783

Total Revenue: $1,188,122