RMHC Family Room Program
Volunteer Portal
Welcome! To YOUR home away from home while volunteering in the Ronald McDonald Family Room! The Volunteer Portal is an amazing resource for you to refer to, especially during your Volunteer Shift in the Family Room to keep YOU, our volunteers, informed and engaged! The homepage will be updated every month with new tips and useful information for all volunteers! Each hospital tab will continue to be updated weekly with the current schedule and specific Room updates!
To thank you for all your hard work and dedication to our mission, our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night will be held in June this year! (typically held in April).
This night allows us to give back to our volunteers and shows our appreciation for your help in carrying out our mission all year. Our goal is to make each year’s Volunteer Appreciation Night unique and special.
Please see the save-the-date below for additional details!
April Volunteer Reminders
Importance of Who We Are
Many of you have expressed that the Ronald McDonald Family Room needs better advertising within the hospital. One way that YOU can help do this, is by advocating and communicating that we are the:
"2nd/3rd/5th floor Ronald McDonald Family Room" when welcoming families in to the room, answering the phone, letting linens know where to deliver, etc.
The hospitals may have rooms throughout that they identify as a 'Family Room', so we want to be very specific when identifying ourselves and to prevent any confusion.
Names that we are not:
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Family Room
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Ronald McDonald
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Ronald McDonald House
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Parent Lounge
Getting into the habit of identifying us as the floor you're on, as well as the Ronald McDonald Family Room can come in especially handy when there is an emergency in the RMFR that you need to call about, and lead security/medical team, in the right direction.
Calling Out Last Minute + Illnesses
To help us keep our RMFR doors open as much as possible, please keep the following in mind:
If you have a cold, a runny nose, a fever, the stomach bug, any type of illness at all:
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If you are not feeling well 2-3 days prior to your shift, please send us an email or call the on-call phone ASAP.
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If you are calling out 24 hours prior to your shift, you must call the on-call phone number to notify the person on call. Our emails aren’t always checked, especially if we are out of the office.
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If you volunteer for a Friday-Monday shift, email/call us the Thursday morning prior. It is much harder for us to find last minute coverage after an Open Shift email is sent out.
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Then, if by chance you are feeling well by the time your shift comes around, you can always pick it back up if it has not been filled yet!
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This will help us tremendously when trying to plan ahead to find coverage for the Family Room to keep our doors open and decrease our chances of having our doors closed to the families. We also know that illnesses can pop out of nowhere too, so we also appreciate you letting us know right then and there as well that you can't make your shift.
Courtney Bradshaw -Out of Office
Courtney Bradshaw, Family Room Program Coordinator, will be out on maternity leave sometime around the end of April/beginning of May.
Courtney Fischer, Family Room Director, will be stepping in during Courtney Bradshaw's absence to help out with any scheduling needs or volunteer communication, with the support of Cierra West, Assistant Family Room Manager.
Courtney Fischer will share the great news of Baby Bradshaw's arrival when the time comes! This is when the transition of Courtney Fischer will also start.
Please continue to call the on-call phone number and leave a voicemail if needed, email familyroom@rmhcstl.org, or email Courtney Fischer or Cierra West, directly when Courtney Bradshaw is out!
Let us know if you have any questions/concerns!
COVID and Flu Updates
In adherence with your host hospital and RMHC, below are the COVID Protocols we must follow. Please take a look and email cbradshaw@rmhcstl.com if you have any symptoms or questions.
Flu Season is approaching, which means flu vaccinations are required. Emails have been sent out by your hospital's Volunteer Services Office, but the information is posted below too.
Recurring Shifts Available
Looking to become a weekly/biweekly volunteer or do you want to switch your current schedule? Take a look below to see what shifts are available. If, what you see, doesn't match what you're looking for, please reach out to Courtney Bradshaw at cbradshaw@rmhcstl.com and we can work something out!
updated 4/2/2024
Meet the Heart of the RMFR
As the Family Room, Director, Courtney Fischer oversees all of the Family Rooms, Family Room Staff, and Family Room Volunteers. She spends much of her time coordinating with our hospital partners in creating a better environment for the volunteers and guest families! When to email/call her: - As needed - When she's on-call (check the on-call schedule!)
As the Family Room Program Coordinator, Courtney Bradshaw recruits, onboards, trains, and does the scheduling for all volunteers at all three of our Hospital locations. She is the goto gal that communicates any hospital-specific or FR-specific information, as well as updates the Volunteer Portal. You can see her as she's filling in any last minute coverage as well! When to email/call her: - Any scheduling matter (signing up for a shift, calling out, etc.) - Any communication clarification - When she's on-call (check the on-call schedule!)
As the Assistant Family Room Manager, Cierra is our Monday Inventory gal, the Up-keeper of all appliances or maintenance issues, and our Meal Donation Coordinator. At the beginning of each month, she sends out surveys to any new family that entered the Family Room the previous month. You will see her filling any open shifts to help keep our Family Rooms operating from 9a-9p! When to email/call her: - Something with inventory is needed (snacks, towels, pens, paper) - An appliance is malfunctioning (washer/dryer, coffee pot, sink) - When she's on-call (check the on-call schedule!)
As the Family Room Associate, Susan is a great addition to our Family Room Team, working part-time. She picks up mostly evening and weekend shifts that don't have volunteer coverage, and is building strong relationships with the guest families. She is very knowledgeable about each hospital location and is a great resource to communicate with if any issues or concerns come up!
As the Family Room Associate, Tedra is a great addition to our Family Room Team, working part-time. She picks up mostly evening and weekend shifts that don't have volunteer coverage, and is building strong relationships with the guest families. She is very knowledgeable about each hospital location and is a great resource to communicate with if any issues or concerns come up!
On-Call Information
The Family Room has a really wonderful resource for volunteers to utilize, our on-call phone, since the Family Room Staff cannot be in the Family Room's 24/7!
Us Family Room Staff, rotate who is on-call on a weekly basis. The schedule is posted below to get an idea of who you will be talking to when you call, but the on-call phone # always remains the same, regardless of who is on-call:
With the on-call phone number, you must call when you need something because texting is not an option. When you call this #, it forwards to our personal cell phones and text messages do not get forwarded, so will not see your texts. If you don't want to call, emailing is an option:
Although the reasons are limitless, here is a brief list of the reasons you would call the on-call phone:
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You are running late to your shift
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You are calling out within 24 hours of your shift because of an illness, emergency, etc.
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You have a general question during your shift and don't want to email
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The Volunteer computer isn't working
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Special Family Room family circumstances
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An emergency
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Family Room Family Issues
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Etc.
On-Call Contact Info:
Call: 314-930-5292 (do not text)
Email: familyroom@rmhcstl.org
March 4-10: Cierra West
March 11-17: Courtney Bradshaw
March 18-24: Courtney Fischer
March 25-31: Cierra West
Calling the on-call phone number is the easiest way for you to get ahold of us. PLEASE leave a voicemail if prompted so we can get back to you!
Who We Are
Ronald McDonald Family Room Program
Serving over 27,000 visitors each year, the Ronald McDonald Family Room serves as an oasis within the hospital for families where families can spend time together away from the hustle and bustle of hospital corridors, busy waiting rooms and their child’s room. The Family Room is intended to extend the comfort and support of the Ronald McDonald House, in a hospital setting. The room is open to local, as well as out-of-town, families. Together, the host hospital and RMHC are working to provide this unique service to the families of in-patients.
Ronald McDonald Family Room Volunteer Role
As a volunteer-run program, RMFR Volunteers are here to uphold all Family Room and hospital policies, and to be supportive to the families who use the Room. It is crucial that you maintain a friendly, caring atmosphere to the Family Room and to everyone who enters.
The Ronald McDonald Family Room would not be able to survive without you. As a volunteer, you will be assisting in the day-to-day operation of the Family Room, as well as providing comfort and support for the families that visit the Room.
What Family Room Families are Saying
Cardinal Glennon Family Room Family
“Thank you so much for providing this area for family. We visited during our sons surgery and it was a great get-away. The volunteers were friendly and offered assistance if needed. The facility was extremely clean and well stocked on supplies. This is a wonderful resource for CG families!”
Mercy Kids Family Room Family
"Thank you SO much to all the volunteers who provide the comforts of home to parents during an obviously stressful time. When your child is sick and you're not getting much rest, it's nice to have a quiet, clean place to take a hot shower in a real bathroom, grab coffee, or just have a few minutes to regroup. Thank you!"
St. Louis Children's Family Room Family
“This space shows that people do care for families who are in some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Thank you for making the Ronald McDonald Family Room such a warm and welcoming place!”
The IMPACT You Make
October - December 2023
Numbers represent all Family Rooms together