Parents Jocelyn Blank Sia and Adam Sia with daughters Kennedy, 8, and twins Charlotte and Stella, 6, at the Rionald McDonald House playground on Thursday. (rdnewsNOW/ Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

"It felt like coming home"

Red Deer’s Ronald McDonald House celebrates 10th anniversary

Jul 21, 2022 | 3:03 PM

The air was filled with positivity and pride at Red Deer’s Ronald McDonald House (5002 39 St.) on Thursday, celebrating their 10^th birthday as a home-away-from-home for families with children in hospital.

Since opening in February 2012, the House has served nearly 3,500 families, from Rocky Mountain House, Lacombe, Ponoka, and Olds, to international families from France, Belgium and the United States. The longest stay was 69 nights.

“It felt like coming home at the end of the day. I was in the hospital all day with the babies and to be able to come home and feel comfortable and taken care of and supported; it’s just immeasurable,” said Jocelyn Blank Sia, alongside husband Adam Sia from Sylvan Lake.

Red Deer’s Ronald McDonald House living room area. (rdnewsNOW/ Alessia Proietti)

Hesitant at first, the Sia family stayed at the House for 23 nights in 2016 while their two twin daughters, Stella and Charlotte, were being treated at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre’s newborn intensive care unit, born 6.5 weeks premature. While their first daughter, Kennedy, stayed with her grandmother, Adam says he cannot imagine how they would have coped without the help of the Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC).

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“I just remember sitting at the table right there, there was nobody down here but the lady at the front, just sitting and taking a deep breath and processing what was going on and just the warmth and feeling that I was in a safe, secure spot, my family was taken care of, and my daughter was right there,” said Adam.

The inauguration of the House in Red Deer represented a significant Canadian milestone, officials say, as it was the first Canadian Ronald McDonald House to open in a market for 19 years.

Building the House began in 2008 with a study to determine the need for accommodations for parents and families of sick children who were staying at the hospital in Red Deer. Planning then began to create what they describe as a beautiful and restful space.

Funds of $12 million were raised to build the House beginning in March 2010. Today, the House has a total of 11 bedrooms, averaging seven families a month.

“Each house in Alberta has got their own uniqueness. Now, one of the uniqueness’s here is they offer a day program” said Lyn Radford, one of the key founding campaign committee members. “When I walk in here, I feel a sense of immense pride; pride in our community that they believe and saw that this could happen.”

The charity says over 4,000 families living in and around Red Deer have relied on the Day Use program for some relief, a meal, or comfort, without having to spend the night, while their child was in treatment at the hospital.

Chief Executive Officer of RMHC Alberta, Jason Evanson says the Home for Dinner program has also allowed parents to maintain self-care with volunteers religiously making one home-cooked meal per day for families, whether in the House or to be delivered.

RMHC hits close to home for Evanson as his cousin Clint was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1986, becoming one of the first referrals to the Ronald McDonald House in Calgary. Spending some time there, he says Alberta Health Services could not exist without the help of RMHC and their volunteers.

“Our goal is to make sure that all the details of day-to-day living are looked after for the families so that they can focus on their sick chid getting better. So in terms of the health system’s reliance on us, what can be more important than making sure that a family can stay focused on the health of their child?” he said.

Every child, whether in hospital or a relative, receives a donated hand-made quilt while at Red Deer’s Ronald McDonald House. (rdnewsNOW/ Alessia Proietti)

The charity states 40,000 hours of volunteerism have been contributed to the Red Deer House.

RMHC Alberta has also partnered with Westerner Days on Sunday, July 24 with a Family Day to celebrate the 10-year anniversary, presented by Nova Chemicals.

There are four RMHC Alberta houses in Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton, and Medicine Hat hosting over 1,200 families annually.