Elmhurst County Hospital’s Ronald McDonald Family Room becomes a Winter Palace

A special holiday surprise was provided to children receiving treatment at Elmhurst Hospital Center for cancer and other serious illnesses. Ronald McDonald Family Room within the hospital was transformed into a winter wonderland by Macy’s volunteers.

 A Christmas tree, snowflakes, and more decorations were added to the room by the Macy’s team over the course of several days. To bring holiday cheer to pediatric patients who continue to receive lifesaving treatment, we organized this event. Additionally, Macy’s volunteers decorated two facilities in NYC – Ronald McDonald House New York and the Ronald McDonald Family Room at King’s County Hospital in Brooklyn.

“We are so grateful to the Macy’s team for partnering with us to provide beautiful holiday decorations at our House on East 73rd Street in Manhattan and in our Family Rooms within Elmhurst and Kings County Hospitals,” said Ruth C. Browne, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House New York. “These festive touches go a long way to uplift the children’s spirits and make these spaces feel more like home for families as they receive treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses during the holiday season.”

Ronald McDonald House New York provides social programs for families with children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses in hospitals. This is part of its hospital outreach programs and partnerships with eight leading healthcare systems, including Elmhurst Hospital. Family members and caregivers of hospitalized children are supported by the Ronald McDonald Family Room. The program lets families focus on what’s most critical: their time together and the fight against their child’s disease, thanks to laundry services, favorite foods, personal items, relaxation sessions, mail delivery, and more provided by the family room.

“Through our partnerships with eight leading healthcare systems in New York City, Ronald McDonald House New York works closely with local hospitals to ensure that patients are receiving support and care through various social programs, and initiatives like this help us to further our mission of ensuring health equity and providing much-needed resources, relief, and normalcy for these families,” Browne said. 

Ronald McDonald House New York‘s mission is to provide temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a supportive, nurturing environment that encourages and nurtures the development of child-to-child and parent-to-parent support networks. Throughout the five boroughs of New York City, across the United States and around the world, Ronald McDonald House New York has served more than 59,000 families since 1974.

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Elmhurst Hospital’s Ronald McDonald House family room transforms into winter wonderland