RMHC Sydney unveils upgraded hospital family room

Ronald McDonald House Charities Sydney (RMHC Sydney) has marked its 30th anniversary with the official unveiling of a newly refurbished Ronald McDonald (RM) Family Room at the Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH) at Randwick.

RMHC Sydney provides families in need with all the facilities of a home within the RMH at Randwick, with the RM Family Room providing a space for the loved ones of sick children to take a break, find respite and recharge. The room hosts an average of 5000 family visits each year.

The RM Family Room is intended to offer a home away from home within the hospital, away from the clinical environment of wards. Put simply, it’s a haven for families already under the immense pressure of having a sick child in hospital. For this reason, the space is absolutely free to use and open to all families whose children are undergoing inpatient or outpatient treatment.

The space includes living and dining areas, a kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities, a quiet room — and now, thanks to the generous support of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Capital Markets, additional bedroom sleeping facilities.

The RM Family Room upgrade includes additional sleeping facilities for families of sick children at SCH, Randwick.

Through its ‘RBC Race for the Kids’ initiative, RBC has generously funded an upgrade of around $40,000 to the Family Room, which allows the space to be used by families 24 hours a day.

The renovations funded by RBC Capital Markets include:

• a wall installation to separate living space from bedrooms space — meaning the bedroom space can now be used as overnight accommodation for two families nightly. This will prove a massive help to families of sick kids and allows RMHC Sydney to support even more families than it currently does (which is typically around 750 families each year);
• repainting;
• a new kitchen; and
• new furniture.

Left to right: Blair Wark, Chief Country Officer for RBC Capital Markets, Australia and Chief Financial Officer, RBC, APAC; Simone Daher, CEO RMHC Sydney; David Bitton, RMHC Sydney Ambassador; and Sean Miller, Head, Global Investment Banking, Australia, RBC Capital Markets.

“RBC is pleased to support the renovation of the Family Room at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick through our RBC Race for the Kids event,” said Blair Wark, Chief Country Officer for RBC Capital Markets, Australia and Chief Financial Officer, RBC, APAC.

“Being able to offer a dedicated space to have a break, recharge and have a meal or a rest at any time of the day or night will make a huge difference to the families of local children being treated in the hospital.

“We are extremely proud of our partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities Sydney. Our support is a year-round commitment, through initiatives including RBC Race for the Kids, RBC Trade for the Kids and volunteering activities such as the Home for Dinner program, and aligns to RBC’s commitment of helping clients thrive and communities prosper,” Wark added.