Volunteer Appreciation

In honor of over 300 volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to the Ronald McDonald House, a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was held on May 24, 2011. In 2010, volunteers donated approximately 18,000 accumulative hours of their time, which is equivalent to a worth of $299,000. The dinner took place at the Olive Garden located in South Portland.

The South Portland Olive Garden has been a supporter of the Ronald McDonald House for about two years, focusing its efforts with the Guest Chef program at the House. Since December 2009, employees and volunteers from Olive Garden have cooked a delicious meal at the Ronald McDonald House on a monthly basis, and have dedicated a great deal of time and effort to each meal -much to the delight of the guests at the House. Maureen Ledoux, General Manager of the Olive Garden in South Portland explains their dedication, "We will continue our partnership with the Ronald McDonald House for as long as we can make a difference in someone's life."

In addition to dinner and dessert provided by Olive Garden, Volunteer’s received “Wicked Whoopies” whoopie pies as a small token of appreciation. The group included volunteers who do everything from cooking, cleaning and assistance with guest service support.

At the event, Patricia and Peter Grunwald were recognized as Heart of Gold Award recipients. The couple are two of the most reliable and devoted volunteers the Ronald McDonald House has been blessed with. They began volunteering in 1995, and continued on to have permanent volunteer shift for the last 16 years. Their exceptional attitudes have provided families with a warm and friendly environment to call home, and have certainly earned them the Heart of Gold Award.

To all of our volunteers – thank you for bringing the best gift of all to the Ronald McDonald House – yourselves.