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Hey, I have a pretty specific question for those who make cards for the RM Houses. What kind of cards do they need?
I live in Charlotte, NC, and we're opening up a new house (our first) next month. A friend of mine is the director there, and I offered to make cards (everybody likes a greeting card, right?). Only, he's too busy with getting everything ready to give my little project any thought.
So, are "get well" too cheesy? It's the families of the ill who stay there, maybe a "praying for you," "have a nice day" kinda thing? Some other type?
Would these be appropriate on check-in, check-out, and/or during the stay? This house will have room for appx 30 famiies @ any given time. Any guess on how many I'll need in any give month?
I would make 'thinking of you' type cards. What about making thank you cards to give to the families. They will probably need them, but not have the time to go out to get them.
I agree with Michelle. Some of the families who come to stay have chronically ill kids who might never get better. Thinking of you, have a nice day, general type cards like that would probably be more appropriate. Have no idea on the quantity you might need. There are a couple of other threads for RMH card donations, I think. You might check those out for ideas.
If you are making cards to be given to the families who are staying there, then I would go with Thinking of You cards.
If you are making cards for the families to use to send to their families and friends, then you would want an array of cards (birthday, anniversary, thinking of you, thank you's, etc.) so they could pick whatever they needed to send out for a specific occasion.
It's my understanding the RMH usually have a basket in the Family Room that folks can go through and take what cards they need.
I guess it depends on which option you are doing?
Good for you helping your friend and the families who will be checking in
__________________ Lorraine
Wife to an awesome DH, Mommy to an adorable DS who is on the spectrum for autism, and Twin Sister to Linda
If you are not a member of the swap forum and cannot post there, you could emial Jane--Janiekay for some suggestions. I take cards to the local house and give them all types--a hundred or so every other month or so. I know there are other ladies who do the same for the same house--a couple of groups of SU demos donate too. I also give the director some sympathy cards each time that she keeps in her office for the house to use when they have lost a child. I also make treat bags for most holidays for each of the rooms.
I was told to generic type cards and to leave the inside blank. I don't know about all the Ronald MacDonald Houses but the one in Phoenix, the personnel also use the cards (not the families) to send thank yous to the volunteers.
Crazystampchick, love the idea of the thank you cards - kinda thinking ahead for the needs the family will encounter.
Barbaralynn, thx so much for the link. I checked out the thread and will definitely be contacting Jane. Sounds like she's just the person to ask - lots of experience. 100 cards every month or so - wow, that's a lot of cards you donate!
I have sent some cards to Jane in the past. She mentioned that Happy Birthday cards are also needed. The parents with children who are ill have no time to buy cards to send to out to their loved ones and they come in handy.
Binx- So Great to see all this interest in helping another Ronald McDonald House! I already have one girl providing cards to the Chapel Hill house, so the fact that you want to help out Charlotte means one more house taken care of!!!
It is in the Need a Lift/ Card Requests section on the bottom of the Forum page under the Member Companies!
You just need a SCS username to post!
So far, the people on my thread have given over well over 6,000 cards to Ronald McDonald Houses across the US, Canada, and Austrailia!!!
A LOT of the girls hold swaps, though to get cards for their houses!!! They will host with the +1 or +2 that would usually go to the hostess going to their RMDH!!! We have several of those swaps going on, and I usually try to post them in my siggy!
My thread has been going on for a couple of years now, and it started with just me giving to my local homes, but needed some help to get enough cards so all the houses in WI had cards for thier families!
PLEASE come join us on the thread! There are LOTS of girls who check in, like, June(Stamper for Fun) who has donated hundreds of cards to the houses! I usually give each girl that adopts a house a box of 100-150 cards, some envelopes, and some plastic card sleeves to get their house going, that way, they don't have to totally deplete their card supply when they first start! Having swaps is a great way to get cards for your house!
I like to give a variety of cards to the houses... Adult Birthday, Youth Birthday, Thinking of You, Thank You, Anniversary, Congrats, Thank you, Sympathy, Blank in the Inside, holiday, thank You...
Lots of blank cards and thank you cards! The thank you cards are great because the families, and even the kids, like to give cards to Doctors, Nurses, Staff members who had gone out of their way to make the most horriffic time of their life, just a little better! They are also for friends and family who are helping out on the home front, gathering mail, watering plants, watching the dog! Sometimes families are at the houses for MONTHS, but it depends on the house. One of the WI homes only has 10 rooms, but they are almost always full, and the people usually stay about a week to 10 days on average, while the one Barb helps with has 38 rooms, is 100% full ALL THE TIME, and the average stay is 3 weeks. So, believe it or not, both houses use about the same amount of cards!
Can I talk you into joining our thread, and keep us posted as to how many cards you give to your house??? I try to keep a running total in my siggy, but I don't always get the numbers for all the houses, so it is a very conservative number to say the least!
If we all keep posting to the same thread, anyone who wants to donate cards or scrapbooking supplies to a RMD will be brought to the thread when they search the web! I've had people join SCS just to donate cards or supplies to the project!!!!
THANKS to all my stamping buddies for all your help with this project! Everyone has their own reason for helping, but it seems most people have used a RMDH with a child of their own, has a family member who has used a RMDH in the past, or has friends who have used a RMDH, and KNOW what a GREAT support system it is!!! My cousin's son passed away in 1989 with an inoperable brain stem tumor. They were at the Gainesville, FL RMDH for many months, first- when they we trying to get a diagnosis, and second- when they were trying to find a treatment.
Love you girls!!!!!
__________________ Visit my Ronald McDonald House Thread Thanks everyone!!! *** Check it out-- we have donated more than 40,120 cards to Ronald McDonald Houses across the country since 2008!!!!
Binx, this is an easy way to get cards for your house! People who join the swaps are usually very generous, and sometimes even donate all their swap cards to your house!!!
__________________ Visit my Ronald McDonald House Thread Thanks everyone!!! *** Check it out-- we have donated more than 40,120 cards to Ronald McDonald Houses across the country since 2008!!!!
Thanks, all, for the input. Janiekay, I PMd you again.
Our house in Charlotte opens May 9th; sounds like I need to get busy getting more cards ready (can't promise it'll be 100 though!).
Kinda liked the idea of just having a box available for the residents to pick out what they want; maybe they'll go for that. Charlotte is in southern North Carolina, very near the South Carolina border. If anyone would like to contribute cards to the Charlotte Ronald McDonald House, PM me, and i'll send you my address. I'll see that the "house" gets your cards.
However many cards you give them is wonderful! It doesn't have to be 100. But, we use that number a lot, because that is about how many cards, with envies and placed in a card sleeve will hold!!!
I usually put them in card sleeves, so that the embellishments don't get torn or bent when looking through the cards. Plus, it keeps hands and germs off the card if it is going to a child on chemo!:( It's so sad that you have to think in those terms!
I'll put you down for the Charlotte house! Just drop me a note to let me know how many cards you bring there!!!;)
__________________ Visit my Ronald McDonald House Thread Thanks everyone!!! *** Check it out-- we have donated more than 40,120 cards to Ronald McDonald Houses across the country since 2008!!!!
Ronald McDonald House
Hi, all my stamping up friends!!!
