Residence Hall Association Donates to the Ronald McDonald House
As a GMercyU core value, service is woven into every part of the University, including the Residence Hall Association, which organizes a large-scale service project every year. This year, the RHA chose to support Philadelphia’s Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home-away-from-home setting for families receiving care at the nearby Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“I wanted to do something that involved teens who are hospitalized,” said RHA Community Service Chair and Psychology major Krista Schofield ’27. “I know what it is like to be a teen in the hospital. I was diagnosed with cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) during my senior year of high school.” Krista even committed to GMercyU from a hospital bed at CHOP.
Knowing first-hand how draining hospital life can be, Krista wanted to help teen patients feel more at home – and make their parents feel loved. She coordinated donation collections from GMercyU’s Nursing, Radiation Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Psychology, Social Work, Speech Language-Pathology, and Biology programs. The RHA collected items such as pillowcases, posters, journals, plants, craft supplies, head scarves/beanies, fairy lights, lap desks, shower caddies, and picture frames — all to make hospital rooms cozier, comfortable, and more personal.
The RHA also collected blankets for parents staying with their teens. GMercyU’s resident students wrote cards for the parents and tied the cards to the blankets.
“My mission for this part of the project was for the parents to feel loved, as well,” Krista said. “My mom stayed with me the entire time I stayed in the hospital, and I couldn't have been more grateful for that.”
On April 24, the RHA delivered the donations to the Ronald McDonald House. Thanks to the volume of donations, the Ronald McDonald House decided to throw an event where the parents would create baskets for their teens using items from GMercyU’s donations.
While Krista missed delivery day because of a medical reason, she was grateful for its success.
“Working with Ronald McDonald House in Philly has been nothing but a blessing,” said Krista, who is currently working toward become a Child Life Specialist for CHOP.