Ronald McDonald House of Omaha Success Story

When it comes to caring for sick children and their families, Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha (RMHC in Omaha) is synonymous with “excellence.” With a mission to create and operate programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children, RMHC in Omaha is often faced with what others might consider impossible. Yet helmed by a tireless staff and empowered by thousands of dedicated volunteers, this non-profit has made a habit out of showing its families, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

In fact, it was only a short time ago that RMHC in Omaha discovered that providing sick children and their families a place to stay while they seek medical treatment in any Omaha-area hospital wasn’t enough. They needed to think bigger than supplying a warm bed, a hot shower, and regular meals to families who were facing unimaginable medical diagnoses. That’s when the idea for the Hope and Healing Expansion arose.

The CL Werner Foundation has played a pivotal role in RMHC in Omaha’s Hope and Healing expansion, helping to double RMHC in Omaha’s capacity, adding 20 rooms and 20,000 square feet to the existing space. The expansion also provided designated space for programming aimed to address basic needs including education, nutrition, alternative healing, and emotional welfare, with each program facilitated by a unique collaborative partner from within the Omaha community. Additional space for conversation, community interaction and collaboration, and privacy were also created in the expansion, all of which were designed to better support the community being served within the House.

In May 2019, RMHC in Omaha opened the renovated house complete with a brand-new toy room. This glass-encased space features a Werner Enterprises truck on the back wall and Ronald McDonald at the wheel. From floor to ceiling, the room has shelves chock-full of brand-new, donated toys for kids of any age and interest. Children are free to grab a toy when they check in to the House, and on their birthday, and any other special occasion. The room provides kids with an object that will brighten their day and allow them to face their current circumstances.

For Kenzie, the toy room serves another purpose. Her son, Harrison, isn’t yet able to play with many of the toys, so for Kenzie, this room, and these toys, are symbols of something to look forward to.

Roughly halfway through Kenzie’s pregnancy, she and her husband, Garret, went to a check-up at her hometown doctor’s office in Northeast Nebraska. During that appointment, the doctor diagnosed the baby with intrauterine growth restriction, or IUGR, which essentially meant the baby was not growing like he was supposed to. In an effort to monitor the baby, Kenzie would make regular visits to specialists in Omaha, traveling four hours round-trip each time.

When Kenzie was roughly seven months pregnant, doctors discovered during a routine appointment that she had suffered a placental abruption, leading to hemorrhaging. Doctors gave her medicine, but the danger to the baby was growing. He needed to be delivered immediately. On November 4, two months before his due date, Harrison was born weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces.

His doctors needed to continue monitoring his progress in Omaha, so his parents needed a place to stay. That place was RMHC. While Kenzie couldn’t yet return to work, Garret created an office nook right in their room at the House, allowing him to work remotely for a time while also seeing his son.

The support didn’t stop with a room. Kenzie also was able to grab free meals out of the pantry and participated in arts and crafts activities led by Completely KIDS. And on one occasion, she got her hair done in the new House salon.

All of these things helped Kenzie deal with the new reality her family faced. Harrison continued to progress and after 37 days, he was discharged and they got to go home.

Still, Kenzie thinks back to the times she would enter that glass-encased toy room just beyond the House foyer. She would scan shelves of stuffed animals, action figures, and remote-controlled cars, recalling the time her eyes lock on a Little Tikes-brand basketball goal. At the time, she imagined Harrison as a toddler, dunking a ball through that hoop. “I’m just waiting for the day we can go back and just visit and say, ‘Look, we did it.’”

To learn more about how you can help, please visit https://rmhcomaha.org