The Magic Room with a Magic Door inside at Red Deer' Ronald McDonald House. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Magic Door

Red Deer’s Ronald McDonald House unveils latest addition to magic room

Jul 22, 2022 | 2:18 PM

Although every Ronald McDonald House in Alberta has a magic room, Red Deer’s is a little more whimsical with a magic door inside.

For the 10-year anniversary in Red Deer, the charity celebrated during a house tour the official unveiling of the magic room’s latest addition, funded by electricity company FortisAlberta in 2019.

Every child staying at the House, whether sick or a sibling, takes a visit to the magic room where they can choose to take home one toy, and maybe two, from the myriad of new donations. The visit can be either in celebration of a birthday, as a reward for a special achievement, celebrating a medical milestone, to welcome them for their first day, or to comfort them on their last.

New and donated toys in the Magic Room behind the Magic Door at Red Deer’s Ronald McDonald House. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

Each magic room in the province is designed with a unique theme. For Red Deer, the magic room is decorated to represent rural Alberta, where many of the children are from according to Lori Rechlo, General Manager for the Red Deer House.

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She says the walls that are covered in wood were donated from a repossessed barn in Delburne. Scattered around the room are chickens, a horse popping its head out of a window, a rabbit driving a car, dancing mice, and a flying pig hanging from the ceiling with wings playing a violin.

“There’s a lot of stress on these families here and if you can provide, whether it’s a toy, or a gift, or a game, or a coloring book, that can take their mind off their challenges for just a little bit, I think that speaks to the impact that we provide these families,” she said.

In 2019, FortisAlberta gave $5,000 to further enhance the magic room with an automated door, new LED lights and farm animal sounds to fill the room.

The children first have to find the door’s key hidden in a few eggs. Rechlo says that while kids almost always find the key on their first try, adults do not. However, the ones who do, are kids at heart.

Once the key is placed into the lock, the door automatically opens to a room filled with toys to the ceiling. Rechlo says some toys are even donated from children themselves through their Make Fun Matter fundraising program, to promote youth helping youth.

Janine Sullivan, President and CEO of FortisAlberta, said the idea for the magic door came from a Women in Leadership group at the company who volunteered at the House.

Due to the pandemic, however, the unveiling of the magic room’s updates was postponed until this year. The company also took the opportunity to present their 2022 donation of $10,000, having partnered with the House annually for the past few years.

General Manager of the Ronald McDonald House in Red Deer presented with $10,000 donation by FortisAlberta in the Magic Room. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

“How would we feel when we were that age going into a room full of toys and somebody saying ‘you can have whatever you want’? I think and hope that’s it’s brought a lot of joy to the kids and their families and friends that stay here,” said Gail Dalrymple, Customer Relations Advisor for FortisAlberta.

As part of the anniversary, Rechlo also shared their latest program called the Comfort Carts, bringing food and other items directly to parents at the hospital if they cannot make it to the House.