1100 East Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY 13210 | www.rmhcny.org

Many Hearts. One Home. Thank you to everyone who supported our 15th Annual Many Hearts One Home Celebration in the fall and helped raise $112,000 to support families with seriously ill children and our ongoing operations. Nearly 350 guests joined us at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College as we honored the heart of our mission with a celebration of the many guest familieswhorelyonourorganizationas a place to stay together when they are going through the unthinkable. Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed live and silent auctions, a photo booth, live entertainment, cocktails, hors d’oeuvresandfoodstations. A special thank-you to our honorary event chairs, Garry and Cindy Payne, event emcee Molly Matott of CNY Central, and auctioneer Bernie Brzostek.Additionalthankstoourevent sponsors: Community Bank, NBT Bank, Neonatal Associates of CNY and Upstate Medical University, East Syracuse Chevrolet, Sons Bakery, The Carta Group and Caryn and Bob Galusha.

Through a Mother’s Eyesby Alicia Mills

Last year, we were shocked when we learned that our 7-month-old baby girl, Gianna,wouldneedtoundergoopen-heartsurgerytofixacongenitalheartdefect.Originally, we had traveled to Syracuse only because Gianna was experiencing some breathingissuesthatwerethoughttoberelatedtoacidreflux.Noonethoughtitwasanything related to her heart; even an initial ultrasound ruled out any heart concerns. But at a precautionary follow-up appointment at Pediatric Cardiology Associates of CNY, a more extensive ultrasound was performed, and it found the holes in her heart.

Upon receiving the news, we were introduced to the CNY Ronald McDonald House. Prior to our stay we had no idea what the House entailed. We explored thewebsiteandwereamazedwithwhatwesawandread.Wedidn’tthinkitcouldbetruethattheamazingservicesofferedwereavailableatsuchalowcostorforfree.That’swhenIknewthattheburden of the open-heart surgery would be lessened because our entire family, including our 4-year-old daughter Katalaya, could stay close by the hospital. My parents were even able to stay at the House with us to help care for Katalaya and provide added support.

We spent 11 days in Syracuse last October at the CNY Ronald McDonald House, and it was a huge blessing to our family. The beautiful facility enabled us to be together daily, while also providing meals, transportation to the hospital and emotional support duringaverydifficulttimeforallofus.ItalsogaveKatalayaandhergrandparentsaplace to call home while my husband and I were up at the hospital with Gianna.

Thankfully, Gianna had a successful surgery. Since we have returned home, we have been inspired to give back to the Houseandtellpeopleabouthowamazingitwasduringourtimeofcrisis.ThispastFebruary,inhonorofGianna’srecoveryandfirstbirthday,wehadaheart-themedbirthdayparty to celebrate and asked people to donate to the CNY Ronald McDonald House in lieu of presents. Coincidentally February was also Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Monthsoittiedinnicelywithourparty’stheme.Inaddition,the fourth grade “Caring Council” at Spencer-Van Etten Elementary School where I teach has been collecting wish list items and monetary donations for the House.

We are truly thankful for all of the staff, volunteers and community supporters involved with the CNY Ronald McDonald House. Thank you!

A version of this article originally ran in the April 2017 issue of Syracuse Woman Magazine.

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NOTES FROM HOME

2017 Spring Newsletter

A publication of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Central New York

This year, we will be celebrating our 35th anniversary of keeping families close. Close to the incredible medical care that we have available to us in our community, but more importantly, close together as families.

Aswecelebratethismilestone,Ifindmyselfreflectingonourhumblebeginningsandhowwe’vegrown.Beforewefirstopenedour doors on Thanksgiving Day in 1982, the CNY Ronald McDonald House was simply a dream. We dreamt of a safe, comfortable place where families with hospitalizedchildreninSyracusecouldstay nearby together. A dedicated team of localparentswhosechildrenwerefightingcancer were inspired to do something after seeing out-of-town families sleeping on the hospitalfloororintheircars.Theseparentsassembled a team of volunteers that led several community grassroots efforts – bake sales, donation drives and more – before joiningtogetherwithMcDonald’sandcommunity leaders to make the dream a reality.

Over the past 35 years, our House has provided a comforting environment and support system for thousands of families.We’veaddedstaffmembersandvolunteers, expanded into a larger and fully accessible home, and increased our occupancy year over year.

Yet after all this time, we still rely on grassroots efforts and the generosity of the community to support the services we provideandfulfillourmission.Sonomatterwhat your connection to our House is, we encourage you to continue your support in the years ahead. After all, we would not be where we are today without all of you who have donated your time and resources to us in one way or another.

Looking ahead, our hearts always have room for more. We look forward to continuingtogrowasanorganizationandsupport even more families by keeping them exactly where they belong...Together.

LETTERfrom the Director

BethTrunfioExecutive Director

Thank You Thank you to all the individuals and groups who continue to dedicate their time and talents to raising money for “The House That Love Built.”

External fundraisers, both big and small, are a tremendous source of support for the CNY Ronald McDonald House every year, and they can be very easy to coordinate.Thinkingofsupportingourorganizationbyholdingadress-downdayat work, setting up a bake sale in your neighborhood with the kids or going on a bowlingoutingwithyourco-workers?Visitourwebsiteandfilloutahostapplicationform, and we will help you get started.

Donations made from Sept. 1, 2016, through March 3, 2017.

Volunteer Spotlights We would like to extend a special thank-you to all of the local schools, church andcommunitygroups,organizationsand individuals who continue to support the CNY Ronald McDonald House, includingbutdefinitelynotlimitedtoJohn,Samantha,Suzanne,AllyandAhlyia.

Together John and Samantha, a father-daughter duo, visit us every Monday to volunteer and work on various “handyman” projects around our House. Suzanne,aThirty-OneGiftsConsultant,conducted her own fundraiser that helped her purchase thermal totes and essential items to be donated to our guest families. Ally and Ahlyia chose to support our House for their senior keystone project anddonated“ComfycozysforChemo”t-shirts, blankets and coloring books for pediatric cancer patients.

Many thanks to all the individuals and groups who dedicate their time and talents to raising money for “The House That Love Built®.”

Arrowhead Golf Course – Golf Tournament $422.00

Canastota Central School District – Donor Day $141.00

Cayuga Community College – Faculty Student Association Tutor Club $250.00

CazenoviaCollege–CampusActivitiesBoardFashionMagazine $100.00

CazenoviaCommunityPreschool–Pre-KSale $48.00

Crouse Medical Practice, PLLC – Jeans Day $119.69

F.E. Smith School – Student Council Holiday Hat Day $138.00

Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. – Jeans Day $650.00

HejamadaCampground&RVPark–LaborDayWeekendRaffle $160.00

McDonald’s,Fairmount–Valentine’sEvent $300.00

Regional Perinatal Center – Staff Christmas Collection $330.00

Rome Memorial Hospital – Casual Dress Day $375.00

SyracuseChiefsCharitableFoundation–CharityRaffle $1,686.00

SyracuseCrunchHockeyClub–RaffleWheelTickets $523.00

Sandra Spina – “ Wings to Remember” card sets in memory of Jason Spina

$500.00

Walt’sHobbyTown–BillyLeaderRace $3,420.00

Pet Therapy Visits Continue We will go to great lengths to put a smileonachild’sface.That’swhyweregularly host visits with our therapy dog, Chase, for our guest families. The visits are especially popular among the children who stay with us because they help serve as a distraction from an illness or injury.

29 Years of Racing OnSaturday,Jan.7,2017,Walt’sHobbyTown held its 29th Annual BillyLeaderRacetobenefitourorganizationandhelpsupportthefamilies with seriously ill children who stay at our House. To compete, allparticipantsfirstmadea$20donation that covered their entry fee, which collectively helped raise $3,420. We extend a special thank-youtothededicatedteamatWalt’sHobbyTownwhoorganizetheraceyear after year and to all those who have competed over the years.

www.rmhcny.org

Donate Your Vehicle Vehicle donations, including cars, trucks, SUVs, boats, RVs, motorcycles, tractors and more, help us keep families together.Throughtheprogram,we’ll help you with the paperwork before picking up your vehicle, free of charge, and selling it at the nearest auction location. All proceeds from the auction willbenefitourorganization,andyoumaybeeligibleforasizabletaxdeduction! Visit OneCarHelpsRMHC.com to learn more.

Leave a Legacy It’snosecrettheworkwedotochangechildren’slivesdependsuponyour goodwill, and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to share it. If you are looking to make a legacy gift, please consider naming Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY in your will.

Legacy gifts allow us to continue our programs and family-centered care to bring hope and help to families with children who are sick. You can make charitable gifts of cash, life income, stock or life insurance. Visit rmhcpghome.org/cny to learn more and start your planning.

Remember Our Donation Boxes Whetheryou’redrivingthroughordiningin,pleaseremember our charitable donation boxes at your local McDonald’s.Yoursparechangedirectlysupportsthe children and families of Ronald McDonald House Charities. The boxes are one of the largest fundraisers eachyearforourlocalorganization.

Our Home for the Holidays Wewerefortunatetobethebeneficiaryof many acts of kindness this past holiday season and are extremely grateful for thelocalcommunity’ssupport.Holidaydonations included fresh-baked cookies; home-cooked meals; handmade hats, mittens and blankets; and gifts for our guest families. In addition, hundreds of wish list items were collected by several school groups, companies and organizations.Weevenhadagroupstopby the House to do a little caroling and make gingerbread houses with our guest families, and the children got to visit with Santa Claus!

WICKED Support We were fortunate to meet some of the cast members of WICKED who visited our House in between performances while they were on tour in Syracuse in March. The group even found time to go shopping and purchased a lot of much-needed wish list items to donate to us in order to help support all of our guest families.

Youth Advisory Board From preparing meals for our guest families to volunteering at our fundraising events, the local high school students who make up our Youth Advisory Board continue to work hard and promote our mission. Altogether, the Board aims to raise awareness and much-needed fundsforourorganizationandeducate others about the value of philanthropy and volunteerism in our community.

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VISIT RMHCNY.ORG TO DONATE AND SIGN UP FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER.

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N O N - P RO F I TORGANIZATIONU S P O S T A G E

SYRACUSE, NYPERMIT NO. 999

PaidRonald McDonald House Charities®

of Central New York 1100 E. Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY 13210P: 315-476-1027 | F: 315-476-5022 | www.rmhcny.org

StaffBeth M. Trunfio, Executive DirectorJennifer Leitgeb, Development DirectorLee Wilder, House Program ManagerRose McGevna, Business ManagerKristen Duda, Event & Fundraising

SpecialistKaren Hynes, AdministrativeOffice

Assistant

2017 Board of DirectorsAaron D. Hugo, PresidentColleen M. Schmidt, 1st Vice PresidentAmy Collins, 2nd Vice PresidentKaren Ohliger, TreasurerMark Renquin, Secretary Nader Atallah, M.D.Paul HattyDouglas K. Lattner Mike MadiganSteven MaloneHon. Anthony J. ParisAlan R. PetermanJonathan V. Riddell, M.D.

Comfort Food Thank you to all who support our “Touch of Home” and “Meals That Heal” programs to help provide well-balanced meals for our guest families. We are fortunate to be able to partner with many great community groups, former guest families and restaurants. If you are interested in hosting a meal, please contact our House Program Manager, Lee Wilder at lwilder@rmhcny.org.

Recent supporters include: 1060 Restaurant, Anthony Cinque, Astellas Pharma US Inc., AXA Equitable, Bishop Ludden Varsity Girls Soccer Team, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Empower Federal Credit Union, Erie Materials, Ernst & Young,IchibanJapaneseSteakhouse,Julie’sPlace, Kitty Hoynes, Kylie Matthews-Werner and Family, Liverpool Central School District, “Luke’sArmy,”Mario&Salvo’sPizzeria,NationalGrid,Nick&Angelo’sRistorante,Olive Garden, Prime Steak House, Russian Baptist School, Salvatore and Patti Paparone, Swallow’s,TamaraandCarminePuccia,andTwin Trees Too.

Walking the Runway Thank you to all who attended the 9th Annual Bella Casa Fashion Show and helped make the event a success! $62,000 was raised while guests enjoyed shopping, live entertainment,raffles,asilentauction,horsd’oeuvres,food stations and the main event, a fashion show. The fashions were provided by local clothing boutiques Giovanni’sTuxedos,IndieKids,JetBlack,Koolakian’sMenswear,Manny’s,Mr.Shop,ShowoffsBoutique,Spybaby Boutique and The Changing Room.

A big thank-you to our event sponsors: Carrier Corporation, Pediatric Cardiology Associates of CNY, Summit Cars, Syracuse Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Welch Allyn, Syracuse WomanMagazine,93Q and CNY Central Media Group including NBC3, CBS5, CW6 and CNYCentral.com. Additional thanks to our photographers, Rick Policastro and Paul Viggiano, and to our emcee, Molly Matott.

ARTIE’S PARTY AT SYRACUSE NATIONALSFriday, July 14 – Sunday, July 16, 2017New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse, New York

CHRISTMAS IN JULYJuly 2017CNY Ronald McDonald HouseSyracuse, New York

RMHC OF CNY GOLF INVITATIONALThursday, Sept. 14, 2017Turning Stone Resort CasinoVerona, New York

MANY HEARTS ONE HOME CELEBRATIONSaturday, Nov. 18, 2017SRC Arena and Events CenterOnondaga Community CollegeSyracuse, New York

For more information about upcoming events, visit rmhcny.org

For ticket, advertising and sponsorship information on any of the above events, contact Kristen Duda at 315-476-1027 or kduda@rmhcny.org.

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