A special section celebrating the collaboration between Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha and Angels Among Us
A chance luncheon, a perfect partnership
It is our sincere privilege to introduce our new and improved home. A home for families fighting large battles away from their own homes, and a home where families find hope for the future.
Three years ago, at a chance luncheon, we met for the first time and shared our ideas and plans for the future. Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha was beginning a $10.3 million expansion campaign to double the size of the facility after turning away families nearly 800 times that year alone. Angels Among Us was seeking a permanent home closer to the hospitals that treat pediatric cancer, a home where families they support financially would find emotional support as well and where new families could be introduced to these services.
Any family whose child has cancer that is living in or being treated in Nebraska is eligible to receive assistance from Angels Among Us. Families from six states have been served by AAU. Any family who lives 35 or more miles away and has a child age 21 or younger being treated in an Omaha-area medical facility is eligible to stay at RMHC in Omaha. Families from 47 states and four countries have been served by RMHC in Omaha.
A house becomes a community
Twice as many rooms for the families. Upgraded amenities. New playrooms for children. An office/locker room for volunteers.
Twenty new rooms join the 20 existing (and now renovated) rooms so we can serve 40 families a day.
Jeffrey Bebee
Second floor family room
Family rooms on three levels of the House are great gathering spots to watch a movie, crush Dad in “Madden” or argue over the remote – just like you would back home.
Jeffrey Bebee
Exterior view
This is a view of the new wing of the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha. The House is located at 620 S. 38th Ave. An open house is planned Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited.
Chris Christen
Dining Room
Our completely renovated kitchen-dining area is the natural hub of activity in the House. Thanks to Mustaches for Kids Omaha, it has more space, more cooking stations and more storage. Plus a private dining area where families can enjoy being a family.
Jeffrey Bebee
Expanded kitchen
Mustaches for Kids Omaha helped equip the House with more cooking stations and more storage.
Jeffrey Bebee
Kids Corner
This sweet little corner in the newly remodeled kitchen is designed to keep the kiddos busy coloring and doing puzzles while supper is being whipped up.
Jeffrey Bebee
Family room
Another view of a family room in the new addition.
Jeffrey Bebee
Angels Among Us offices
The goal for the Angels Among Us offices was to create an inviting space for families to visit and feel special. Thanks to the CRE Summit, the interior includes not only offices for staff, but a conference room and mini beverage center for families. Fluff Interior Design donated their time to making the first impression very special for families.
Jeffrey Bebee
Angels Among Us reception area
This is the reception area in the Angels Among Us offices. The expansion of the House created an opportunity to bring the two organizations under one roof in order to serve more families efficiently and conveniently.
Jeffrey Bebee
Check-In Room
Arriving at an unfamiliar place at odd hours under difficult circumstances is stressful enough. The new check-in room, complete with furniture donated by Hayneedle, offers families an inviting, relaxing – and private – area to take care of what needs taking care of when they first arrive at the House.
Toy Room
Sponsored by the CL Werner Foundation, this glass-walled treasure trove holds donated new toys for kids upon check-in, their birthdays and holidays. And sometimes game nights. Because they’re kids and kids need toys. It’s science.
Kurt A. Keeler
Toy Room
A closeup view of the Toy Room.
Kurt A. Keeler
Guest Room
Guest room of the newly expanded Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha.
Jeffrey Bebee
Guest bathroom
Each guest bedroom has a private bathroom. Some are wheelchair accessible.
Jeffrey Bebee
Playroom
The kids in our House are facing abnormal situations, so they need a space where they can just be normal kids. With the help of Bland & Associates, we created a cheerful playroom for building towers of blocks, hosting tea parties and even getting a little messy with crafts.
Jeffrey Bebee
Family Room
This is the remodeled family room in the lower level.
Jeffrey Bebee
Teen Room
Just because we’re an oasis for families with pediatric patients doesn’t mean all of those kids (or their siblings) are in elementary school. This space offers older offspring a chance to chill, do homework or whatevs – like roll their eyes at people who still say “chill” and “whatevs.” It’s OK. We understand.
Jeffrey Bebee
Teen Room
Air hockey, table tennis and foosball keep families entertained.
SCOTT DOBRY PICTURES INC
Private Dining Room/Meeting Room
Most families prefer eating out in the open dining area with other families, but this space lets them have a quiet meal or meeting by themselves, if they so choose. It's also an allergen-free room for our friends who need to avoid nuts, gluten, and the like.
Jeffrey Bebee
Pantry
Families can help themselves to non-perishable food items, paper towels, diapers, laundry detergent, toiletries and other daily necessities donated to the pantry.
JEFFREY BEBEE
A place to unwind
Being inside the House is always nice, but sometimes you just need some fresh air. Our brand new patio area was furnished by Hayneedle, and offers families an opportunity to sit around a fire pit, watch the kids play in the backyard, grill a burger, or just take a much-deserved nap under the beautiful Nebraska sky.
A very, very fine house
The backyard has not one but two playhouses.
Chris Christen
Peg wall
A peg wall with movable gutters allows for creative play with balls and-or water.
Chris Christen
Having a ball
Creative play, doctors say, is good for healing.
Chris Christen
A familiar face
Recognize this guy? He's been a fixture at the House since the beginning.
Chris Christen
Open house
The public is invited to tour the expanded House on Saturday, May 11. The grand opening celebration includes a community fair with partner non-profits. It's free, and kids are most welcome!
Chris Christen
Albuquerque family feels Midwestern love
Eden Schmitz had her “best year ever” in 2018 – just two short stays in the hospital.
For most kids, those two stays would not qualify as much of a milestone.
Kelly Walsh of Omaha had recently lost her son Skylar to neuroblastoma, a rare type of childhood cancer. Walsh and her friend Cathy Bauer of Omaha wanted to give back and help other families struggling with the terrible disease.
Over the past 12 years, the Angels Among Us group they founded has assisted more than 400 families from Nebraska and Iowa with more than $1.7 million in support.
The lives of Tammy and Jay Herringer of Hastings, Nebraska, were “turned upside down” the moment they were told their 14-year-old son, Nicholas, had a mass on his brain.
“We were scared to death, and we were in shock,” Tammy said. “All of a sudden our son was placed in an ambulance heading to Omaha, and two days later he was having surgery to remove a brain tumor."
Parents whose children are undergoing treatment for major illnesses soon realize that whatever else is happening, the bills keep coming, Irma Moreno of Omaha says.
“They don’t stop. People need help with things other than hospital bills. Insurance doesn’t cover everything,” said the mother of 10-year-old Raphael, who has had three bouts with cancer.
Suburban housing was the only choice available when the Mercado family from southern Texas first came to Omaha so son Luis could undergo medical tests at Nebraska Medicine.
Luis was eventually added to a transplant waiting list. When the call came saying it was time for his surgery, the family members were grateful that on this trip they would stay at Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha.
Angels Among Us donors, volunteers and supporters are the driving force behind our mission and the only reason we are able to continue to provide support for more families whose children are battling childhood cancer.
Here are a few ways to help fill an immediate need for families whose children are fighting this awful disease:
