Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week

A thank you to volunteers at Ronald McDonald House New York:

Ronald McDonald House New York’s volunteers are truly the most dedicated in the business. Whether they come once a week to serve meals to families, play with our kids in the playroom, accompany their service animals, or to push the Blavatnik Family Foundation Hospitality Cart through the halls of our local hospitals to serve NICU families who cannot leave the side of their little one, our volunteers serve our families and local communities with thoughtful compassion. 

RMH-NY volunteers come in all shapes and sizes. Individual volunteers might offer one evening a week that they will serve meals to all of our House families. They might stuff envelopes in the Family Support office, or sometimes entertain our kids and get them playing with all the wonders our Playroom has to offer.

Over the holidays, many families volunteer together when everyone is off from school and work. Corporate sponsors also create group volunteering efforts. Just last week, many National Football League (NFL) employees donated an entire morning to packing and packaging meals that were served the same day to all of our House families.

If you are looking to take on some volunteering responsibility and feel like Ronald McDonald House New York is a great fit for you, go to the Individual Volunteers page of the RMH-NY website (linked) to begin that process.  

Corporate Volunteering opportunities are also in great supply now and we would love to see more corporations give their time and resources to help make our kids smile. Please go to the Group Volunteering page of the website to connect with us and begin that process. 

Volunteer Recognition Day is observed on April 20th and National Service Recognition Day is April 21st.. These are two day during a larger celebration referred to as National Volunteer Week or Volunteer Recognition Week. This is celebrated in 2026 between April 19 – 25th. This important week is celebrated as a part of National Volunteer Month (every year in April) which is a part of a month long international celebration called Global Volunteer Month. 

Needless to say, April is the month to celebrate volunteers from every walk of life. It is also the month to highlight volunteering and the enormous benefits humans and communities can get out of selflessly impacting others lives.

The annual Volunteer Week celebration honors the people and causes that drive us to serve our fellow man. During this special week, we spend time acknowledging and thanking volunteers who dedicate their time, talent, and energy to better their communities.

Recognizing the impact of volunteers in our communities is one focus of Volunteer Week. It is also meant to create a call to action that excites others in the community and motivates people to want to volunteer themselves.

Though Ronald McDonald House New York never closed its doors to the kids and families that needed us most during that time, in order to comply with efforts to eradicate Covid from our city, we were forced to put a pause on all of the House’s volunteer efforts. 

For one full year, RMH-NY continued to operate, but it felt as if the middle of the organization has been ripped right out. Without the volunteers who so steadfastly and consistently served the families and the children of the House, RMH-NY was incomplete. 

Today, the dynamic members of the RMH-NY Volunteer team led by Daniele Starfield, is welcoming back old friends that volunteered in the House before the pandemic along with a host of new faces, families, and businesses that, for the first time, want to lend a hand to the Ronald McDonald House New York mission to make our House the ‘home away from home… with extra love’ that it has always been for families with kids suffering from pediatric cancer and other complex diseases. 

• Have you ever served your family dinner?
• Drive?
• Have administrative experience or similar talents?
• Are you a certified tutor?
• Have you ever packaged yourself lunch for the day or wrapped a Christmas present?
• Pushed a shopping cart through the grocery store?
• Have a special talent or skill that is not mentioned above?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you could be a good candidate to volunteer at Ronald McDonald House New York.  

As we expand across the five boroughs of NYC and open more Family Rooms in local hospitals, we will need to simultaneously expand our volunteer roster to add wonderful, compassionate, awesome humans that want to help us keep kids with pediatric illnesses close to their family in the times when they need it the most. This is a great time to join the ranks and become a volunteer at Ronald McDonald House New York. 

Become a volunteer At Ronald McDonald House New York.

Our fearless leader, Dr. Ruth C. Browne, CEO and President of Ronald McDonald House New York said it best,

Thank you to all those who have pledged their time and effort to making the House a home for our kids and families. You make it possible for kids to be kids first and patients second. Thank you for all the smiles you have produced.

Our gratitude goes out to each of you and we are excited to expand our mission with your support.

You play a vital role in the success of Ronald McDonald House New York. Your love and compassion have touched the lives of all those that stay at Ronald McDonald House New York. Thank you.