ikekeyclub - Governor's Project

The Eisenhower Key Club got started early helping out at the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The closest houses are in Oklahoma City and Chickasha, so the club found some things we could do here at home to help. We began collecting soda pop tabs to raise money for the organization. The houses only save the tabs and then redeem them at local recyclers who graciously give extra money to the Ronald McDonald House in exchange for their tabs.

The Eisenhower Key Club also looked into starting a Friends chapter here in Lawton, Oklahoma. If we decided to do so, we would conduct fundraisers in the name of the Ronald McDonald House and send all profits to the organization. Such fundraisers for the Ronald McDonald House include car washes, bake sales, and McDonalds percentage days.

But our favorite volunteer work was when we served a meal to the residents at the house on June 28, 2006. Our Key Clubbers also went up to the house on November 9. we also went for a last visit on Feb. 5th. Click here for a closer look.

The idea behind the Ronald McDonald House program is simple: Provide a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

Some children must travel great distances to get medical attention. In-hospital treatment may last one day, one year or longer. For these children's families, accommodations can be hard to come by. Options often are limited to costly hotels or uncomfortable hospital chairs and benches.

The Ronald McDonald House provides a comfortable, supportive alternative. It serves as a temporary residence near the medical facility where family members can sleep, eat, relax and find support from other families in similar situations. In return, families are asked to make a donation ranging on average from $5 to $20 per day, but if that isn't possible, their stay is free.

Remember to collect pop tabs!

Update: Our club went up to the house on Feb. 5th to serve hamburgers. Some of our newer members really stepped up and went even though it was on a Monday. All of our hours for governor's Project were sent in. Also, we collected 152,000 pop tabs in total! Great job to everyone who collected tabs!

Did you know??

The first House opened in Philadelphia in 1974.
There are more than 245 Ronald McDonald Houses in 26 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
Since 1974, the Ronald McDonald House program has helped more than 10 million families.
More than 6,000 bedrooms worldwide are available for families every night.
The Ronald McDonald Houses are supported by more than 30,000 volunteers who donate 1 million hours of their time each year.
Founders of the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia selected the name because of the commitment of McDonald's Corporation and because this beloved clown is a symbol of happiness to children around the world.