Zealand
Dear Friends,
Last November, Stevie-Ray Tiopira had been running around and jumping on a bouncy
castle. The next day, he could no longer walk. Stevie-Ray and his Mum Corrina were
immediately sent to Auckland so that he could receive urgent specialist medical treatment.
Not knowing where they were going to stay or how long they would have to be in Auckland,
Corrina called her husband George and told him to bring their two-year-old daughter, and
to put a mattress in the back of their car. As much as she didn’t want her family sleeping in
the car, they felt they had no choice as they couldn’t afford to pay for accommodation.
Halfway up to Auckland, Corrina was told that her and her whole family could stay at
Ronald McDonald House, and a sense of relief washed over her as she realised they had a
comfortable place to stay, just moments from the hospital.
Ronald McDonald House provides free accommodation and support for families with
children in hospital. This alleviates the financial, emotional and practical burdens that
families face during a highly stressful time. Tonight over 100 families will stay with us and every
year we take care of over 3,700 families from across the country. At the heart of everything
we do is our goal of keeping families close.
This year during our Appeal Week (8-14 May) we’re asking schools to hold a mufti-day to
help fundraise for our vital services. We need your school to participate!
It is only through the generosity of New Zealand’s communities that we are able to provide
accommodation free of charge for families with children in hospital. We need your help to
raise over $100,000 to cover the cost of all families staying with us this week.
To support your school, we have posters and other resources available. If you and your
school would like to get involved, you can find out more here:
www.rmhc.org.nz/event/appeal/ or email [email protected].
Best wishes,
Andrea Leersnyder
Donor Development Manager
Ronald McDonald House Charities, PO Box 110119, Auckland Hospital, Auckland, 1148, New Zealand
PHONE: (09) 365 8300 WEB: WWW.RMHC.ORG.NZ
Ronald McDonald House Charities® New Zealand (RMHC®) is a registered charity: CC50543