The Signs of Business

Walter at the Ronald McDonald House

This week, we toured the Ronald McDonald House on Washington Ave in Evansville, Indiana. The Evansville Ronald McDonald House is a 2011 Signs of Support Recipient.

Here are some of the thoughts of our owner, Walter Valiant:
That is one amazing place. Jill Swiz gave us the tour. We also met with the executive director, Kathy Scheller.

Their whole purpose is to help the families of critically ill children by providing a home environment close to the hospitals.

There are 10 guest rooms available. Many, many volunteers make the House a success. Everything is provided for the families, from the private rooms with baths to kitchens, laundry facilities, playrooms, games, TV’s. Internet, meals and friendship. The guests are asked to keep their spaces clean. I was really amazed at the condition of the House. Everything looked brand new, better than in hotels. That means that the guests have taken care of the place, probably because that house provides a great service to them and they appreciate it.

The house is meant for out of town families who have a child who needs medical attention at the hospital. When we were there, we met a young mother caring for one of her twins, the other was still in the ICU Nursery.

There are many systems in place that make the guests feel comfortable. There is a well stocked pantry (thanks to many local business and individual donations) that a family can cook their meals or snacks when they feel like it. For some, cooking is very therepudic. For others, volunteers will cook and supply meals.

Besides the service that they provide, the house itself is amazing. It is one of about 350 Ronald McDonald houses in the world. It’s also in one of the smallest communities, usually they are in larger cities. The building is LEED certified so it is efficient to maintain, heat and cool.

Thank you volunteers and supporters of the Ronald McDonald House in Evansville, Indiana. You are a great organization and make this a wonderful area in which to work and live.

About Signs of Support

The Signs of Support Grant program is intended to provide free and discounted signage to non-profit groups in Southwestern Indiana. For more information on applying for the annual grants, see our Signs of Support page.

About Where’s Walter

The Where’s Walter series highlights the mysterious activities of the owner of AmeriStamp Sign-A-Rama in Evansville Indiana. See all of the Where’s Walter posts.

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