Enterprise in Your Community
Employees prepare a feast for local Ronald McDonald House
Enterprise employees cooked for a cause this fall at the Ronald McDonald House on Park Avenue in South St. Louis. Real Estate Specialist Brandi Thomas along with Real Estate Manager Susan Hansard (and daughters Hannah and Shelby), Senior Writer Rhonda Sciarra, Real Estate Specialist Renee Ragsdale, Facilities Coordinator Chrisi McNamee (and daughter Cayla) and Maintenance Supervisor Myrna Perez–McBride prepared and served dinner for families living at the facility while their children are treated at nearby Cardinal Glennon Medical Center.
Brandi, who had volunteered at Ronald McDonald House previously, coordinated the event. “I had talked to the other women about my past volunteer experiences at RMH, and they were all enthusiastic to participate,” she says. “It was a chance to combine a team–building activity with an opportunity to give back to a wonderful community organization.”
The volunteers planned a menu and did the grocery shopping for a meal to feed 20 to 25 people. After arriving at 4 p.m., the Enterprise employees toured the facilities, met the families, and then got to work preparing chili, pasta, salad, bread, chips and dessert.
The Ronald McDonald House on Park Avenue has been providing a “home away from home” for families with seriously ill children being treated at Cardinal Glennon Hospital since 1996. Volunteers provide home–cooked meals for the families six nights a week to help family members avoid the cost of eating out.
“Most families travel here from more than 100 miles away to be with their sick child,” says Brandi. “They were so grateful to have a home–cooked meal, and it felt really good to be able to do something to lift their spirits.”
