RMHC Family Room Program
Volunteer Portal
Welcome to the RMHC St. Louis Family Room Program Volunteer Portal! First, thank you for being here and being a volunteer! Our goal is the this site to be a resource for you to refer to, especially during your volunteer shift, to keep you informed and knowledgeable about all things Family Room.
July Volunteer Information
Welcoming new Family Room Coordintor- Operations
We are so excited to share that Pete Tolpa will be joining the Family Room Team beginning July 14 as Family Room Program Coordinator-Operations. With this, Cierra's position will be changes to Family Room Program Coordinator- Volunteers. Please see below for more on who to go to for what!
Please join us in welcoming Pete! We know you will love working with him!
General Reminders
Below are a few general reminders we have gotten feedback or questions on from volunteers lately:
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Victim of Violence (VOV) Patient Families: If you are ever working in the Family Room, ask a family for a patient name and they respond letting you know they are a VOV family (or any variation of this, black out family, protected family, etc. as they all could identify themselves differently) please let them come in the use the Family Room without any further questions/sharing their name. These families do not use/share their name while in the hospital for their own safety/protection. If you ever have questions or concerns while in the Family Room about a situation like this please call the on-call phone number!
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When providing tour to first time guests please remember to emphasis that the Family Room is a public space, so we do ask that they be respectful to our patient families by keeping our voices down when talking to others or on the phone.
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If you are closing the Family Room for the night, please be sure to start the dishwasher with the coffee pot in it so the volunteer opening up has clean dishes for the day!
Summer Vacation Call Outs
We know summer can be busy with vacations and appointments! If you know you are going to be out for an upcoming shift, 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 anytime to let us know about call outs: familyroom@rmhcstl.org
Farewell CJ/Welcome back Julia
We have been so lucky to have CJ on our Family Room Team for the last year as he was finishing up at St. Louis University. CJ was an incredible help covering shifts when we did not have volunteer coverage! CJ was recently accepted into Medical School in Chicago and is beginning classes this summer! We are wishing in the absolute best in the future!
To help fill the gaps while we are hiring another associate, Julia Bauche, who joined us last summer, is back on board as a Family Room Associate for the summer. If you see her in the Family Rooms please give her a warm welcome back!
Family Room Program Staff
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!)
Pete oversees the operations of out Family Rooms! He ensure the up-keep of all appliances or maintenance issues and the inventory of all Rooms in addition to our warehouse. In addition to this Pete organizes the survey process to ensure we are staying informed on the families experience! You will see Pete in the Family Rooms collecting inventory, testing appliance and covering shifts when needed! When to email/call him: - Something with inventory is needed (snacks, coffee, pens, paper) - An appliance is malfunctioning (washer/dryer, coffee pot, sink) - When she's on-call (check the on-call schedule!)
Cierra recruits, onboards, trains, and does the scheduling for all volunteers at all three of our Hospital locations/four Family Rooms. She is who you will communicate with most often regarding you volunteer experiene or general questions regarding volunteering! She also keeps out 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: - Any scheduling matter (signing up for a shift, calling out, etc.) -General questions regarding your role as a volunteer - Any communication clarification - 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, Julia is a great addition to our Family Room Team, working part-time. Julia was with the Program last summer and is joining us again this summer while she is on break from Missouri State University!
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
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 52,000 visitors in 2024, 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. Our goal is to always create a calming, home like space for all visitors that enter the Family Room.
The Ronald McDonald Family Room would not be able to serve family at the level we do with you as our volunteers. We are grateful for the time and talents that each of you give to the Family Rooms every single day!
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”
The IMPACT You Make
October-December 2024
Numbers represent all Family Room locations combined