Townsville Ronald McDonald House faces fundraising challenge in COVID-19 pandemic
The generosity and community spirit is helping the Ronald McDonald House Charity North Australia to operate as usual, despite fundraising challenges amid COVID-19.
Townsville
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The generosity and community spirit is helping the Ronald McDonald House Charity North Australia to operate as usual, despite fundraising challenges amid COVID-19.
Now in its 16th year of operation in Townsville, the house provides support to families forced to travel in order to access medical treatment for their little ones from as south as Mackay, north to the Torres Strait and West into the Northern Territory.
Mackay parents Erin and Jonathan Townley have been staying at the house with their eldest children while baby Flynn has been in NICU following his premature birth at 30 weeks.
Mr Townley said the support they’ve received has helped ease the stress and the chance to focus on Flynn while the other kids enjoy the facilities.
“With all the stuff for the kids to do it’s been unreal (and) we can’t fault the place and the people,” he said.
“Flynn, he’s progressing heaps every day and even they’re (medical staff) are shocked.”
CEO Denise Lumsden said like all organisations and charities, they’re not able to fundraise in the way they normally would with their annual Gala Ball and other face to face events but that hasn’t stopped the generosity of the community giving back wherever possible.
“We’re incredibly fortunate here that people do get behind us and know that we’re a vital support,” she said.
“I think they really understand that when children need to access medical care the whole family needs to be close by.”
“We’re just looking to adapt and so our annual Help our Little Heroes appeal starting from this weekend will have soldiers stationed at shopping centres on our behalf.”
It comes as another Ronald McDonald House in Brisbane recorded a 65 per cent drop in donations, reported as being critical to assisting its operation.
Ms Lumsden said practical and often inexpensive items donated through their wish lists posted online regularly helped day to day operations immensely.
“We’re running a house, it just happens to be a large one,” she said.
“We have 25 families stay here most nights so we always need grocery items, particularly individual items to pack in their bag and go over to the hospital.”
Originally published as Townsville Ronald McDonald House faces fundraising challenge in COVID-19 pandemic