Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego was selected as the beneficiary of Sunland RV Resorts’ “Home for the Holiday” season of giving campaign. Sunland RV will donate 10% of all reservation fees booked before November 2022 through February 2023 at all of its locations throughout California. Funds will provide Ronald McDonald House Charities commitment to create a “home away from home” for families with a critically ill or injured child in local San Diego hospitals.
Ronald McDonald House Charities President/CEO Chuck Day said they got to know the team at Sunland RV Resorts last holiday when they did a small fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House.
“After giving folks a tour and showing them what we are all about, we stayed in contact and they reached out to us and said they wanted to make us the focus of its holiday campaign,” he said, adding that the money raised from bookings during the four-month period will come directly to the Ronald McDonald House.
“A four month campaign like this is really a great opportunity for us to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House thanks to Sunland RV and the resort community that they have. They are involving all their California operations. We are sitting here with the Ronald McDonald House full of families. And their fame is all about family with their resorts, and that is pretty much in line with what we do here,” he said.
Day said its purpose is to take care of families while they are trying to take care of their child who is in the hospital. Ronald McDonald House occupies the seventh floor of Rady Children’s Hospital’s parking structure. It has 56 rooms, and it is completely full, with a waitlist of more than 40 families. He said those in the those in the house can walk a few steps to reach Rady’s entrance.
“I think the idea that we are keeping families close is what resonated with Sunland RV Resorts,” he said. “Their senior vice president, James Lin said that this is a great example of doing whatever we can in a tough situation to support families. They were super to come aboard with this campaign.” Day said the House provides families with three meals a day, an overnight place to stay, as well as a variety of programs that they are able to support families with. He said the programs might be as simple as free laundry services, a school for children on site, and play decks to get them a break from the hospital setting.
Day said in addition because its 56 rooms are always full, it also provides meals to families at Rady who are not able to stay with them.
“We try to focus on the siblings as well as mom and dad so they can have a sense of normalcy in a very unnormal time,” he said. “Upon average, we are seeing families here at about 30 nights at a time, so you can imagine how it disrupts their home environment.”
Day said the House always appreciates the community support it gets, and corporate support like Sunland RV Resorts is an example of the San Diego community giving back.