Wells Fargo Donation Assists 13 Families at Ronald McDonald House

MACON, Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) – The Ronald McDonald House of Central Georgia got a big donation from Wells Fargo Bank, Thursday.

They gave a thousand dollar check to help pay for families who stay at the home while their children are in the hospital.

Brian Route is among the families staying at the Ronald McDonald house. His 13-year-old daughter, Lauryn, is battling pneumonia in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital in Macon.

“They have had her own life support since she got here,” said Route. “She arrived on Tuesday afternoon.”

Lauryn was air lifted to the hospital from an Albany hospital.

Route says his daughter has been heavily sedated, to maintain her stable condition.

“She was actually coming in and out of her sleep,” added Route. “So they kind of had to increase the medicine.”

Ronald McDonald House of Central Georgia, Julie Wilkerson says Route and his family are an example of how a big donation From Wells Fargo will go a long way

“That one thousand dollars will cover everything that we do in a day for the 13 families that stay here,” says Wilkerson.

She added, her staff and volunteers try to provide a sense of normalcy for the families, due to their lives being disrupted when their child was hospitalized.

“What we try to do is provide a home away from home,” she said. “The house itself is like a home, even though there are 13 families living here. We have a kitchen, and there is coffee ready in the morning. They can fix their lunch, here and take it to the hospital, or they can come back and eat it. There is a warm meal every night. A home cooked meal is prepared by volunteers. They have a comfortable bed. There’s a laundry room, so there’s a place to do laundry.”

The McDonald House is a place where parents can avoid the distractions like where would they stay or what would they eat while their child is in the hospital.

They can relax in a comfortable environment and focus on their child’s recuperating from their illness.

The Ronald McDonald House has been open in Macon since 2002.

McDonald’s corporation funds about twenty percent the house’s expenses. The charity relies on private and corporate donations, for the other eighty percent they need.

For more information on how you can donate or volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House Charities, call 478-746-4090.