RMHC Family Room Program
Volunteer Portal
November Volunteer Information
Winter Call Outs
Although we do love the arrival of the cooler weather, we know that this often also brings illness. Because we are working in the hospitals with a vulnerable population we do ask that you don't take any chances with spreading germs! If you are are feeling under the weather please call the on-call phone number ASAP to call out for your shift! We would rather be safe than sorry!
In addition, as we start to creep up on the last few months of the year we know it is a busy time! Please look forward to see what dates your shifts fall on and let us know if you will be missing them. The earlier you let us know the better the chances are that we will be able to get that shift filled! You can email the Family Room email to let us know about these call outs (if they are more than 72 hours away): familyroom@rmhcstl.org
General Reminders
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Please refrain from bringing any personal items into the Family Rooms to leave. This includes wall décor, knick knacks for shelves, etc.
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We try to keep as little clutter in the Family Rooms as possible as this helps to create a clean environment
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If we let one volunteer bring in items, we would have to let all, and this would become overwhelming and cluttered in the spaces
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Foor preparation guidelines:
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Any food available for families must have been prepared in a government inspected kitchen; this means prepackaged or completely made in a restaurant or bakery
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The only food that can be made/shared in the Family Rooms are items that take no preparation, only warming up. Examples include slice and bake cookies, cinnamon rolls from a tube, etc.
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Although some hospital partners have religious affiliations, RMHC does not. We are that you refrain from bringing in any religious materials to share with the families including bibles, religious pamphlets, etc.
Welcoming a new Associate
We are so excited to share that we have added another staff member to our Family Room team! Penny Dutton-Gamble has joined our team as an additional Family Room Associate. She will join our current Associate, Susan, helping to cover evening and weekend shifts when volunteers are unable to be there.
The Associates play a vital role in our Family Room Program as they not only help to keep the doors open, but they are able to interact more with you guys as volunteers and create more staff consistency in the Rooms.
Penny has begun training in the last week of October and will begin picking up shifts in early November. If you see her please help in giving her a warm welcome!
Family Room Program Staff
Courtney oversees everything within the Family Room Program, including staff, operations and volunteers. She works closely with our hospital and community partners to ensure we are operating at the highest level possible. When to email/call her: - Concerns regarding your volunteer experience -Concerns regarding guest families -Questions or comments regarding anything within the Family Room Program
Pete oversees the operations within the Family Rooms! He ensures the upkeep of all appliances and maintenance issues. In addition to this, he tracks inventory for the Rooms and keeps our warehouse stocked. You might see Pete in the Family Rooms collecting inventory, testing appliance or covering shifts! When to email/call him: - Inventory needs - Appliance issues
Cierra recruits, onboards, trains and schedules volunteers. You will hear from her weekly when she sends open shift emails! She also keeps the Volunteer Portal up to date. You will see her in the Family Rooms training new volunteers, checking in on volunteers and covering shifts as needed! When to email/call: - Questions regarding your volunteer schedule or the calendar -Questions about volunteer requirements
Susan is an integral part of our Family Room Team! Working part-time she picks up mostly evening and weekend shifts when volunteers are not available to esnure our doors are open as regularly as possible. Because of the time she spends in the Rooms she is able to build strong relationships with guest families and share perspective on processes/procedures.
Family Room Associate
Email:
Penny is the newest member of our team, taking on her role in late October 2025. Penny works in the same capacity as Susan as an integral part of our Family Room Team! Working part-time she picks up mostly evening and weekend shifts when volunteers are not available to esnure our doors are open as regularly as possible. Because of the time she spends in the Rooms she is able to build strong relationships with guest families and share perspective on processes/procedures.
On-Call Information
Please save the on-call phone number in your phone:
Family Room staff rotates on-call responsibilities weekly. This means someone should always be available, including during evenings and weekends. However, may not be able to answer in the moment so please always leave a voicemail when prompted.
The on-call phone number unfortunately does not have the abilitiy to text!
General Contact Info:
Call: 314-930-5292 (do not text)
Email: familyroom@rmhcstl.org
Who We Are
Ronald McDonald Family Room Program
Serving over 52,000 visitors in 2024, when families walk into one of our Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, we want them to feel the comfort and care of our home-away-from-home. Just steps away from in-patient units, Ronald McDonald Family Rooms offer places of refuge to families whose children have been hospitalized because of illness or injury.
Ronald McDonald Family Room Volunteer Role
Although the RMHC Family Room Program is a global program, St. Louis is one of the only chapters to still identify itself as a volunteer-run program. This means we rely on volunteers daily to ensure the doors to our Family Rooms remain open for guest families. Open 9a.m.-9p.m., 7 days a week at four locations within our community. Our 250+ dedicated volunteers allows us to spend the tens of thousands of dollars we would have to pay staff to be in the Family Rooms on what is most important, the needs of the guest families.
What Family Room Families are Saying
Cardinal Glennon Family Room Family
“Thank you so much for providing this space for parents and patients. I can not thank you enough for being able to take a shower and have clean clothes without having to leave my son to take care of those things. This was truly a blessing!”
St. Louis Children's Hospital Family Room
"Having somewhere to go, just to sit for a moment of quiet, while my daughter was in the NICU is something I am very thankful for. I met so many volunteers who welcomed me in the room daily! We were lucky that our stay was only five days, but I can only imagine how important this space is for the families that have a longer journey. Thank you!"
Mercy Children's Hospital Family Room
“The volunteers were AMAZING!!”
“Friendly and definitely nice to get to relax and have a feel of not being at the hospital.”
“This was a beautiful place to sit and get a break from being in our hospital room for hours and days”
Family Room Statistics
January- August 2025
Numbers represent all Family Room locations combined