(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Melanie Ley needed doctor recommendations for her sick brother. So, she reached out to The Ronald McDonald House.
"My brother came to live with me in Chicago and was very ill. He has Crohn's Disease and is not a typical Crohn's patient. I needed to find a specialist. I called Ronald McDonald House Charities for a referral," she recalled.
That phone call would change her life.
"We met with a doctor at Northwestern who specialized in Crohn's and he changed my brother's path. He's healthy and is making progress because of that phone call. I knew right then I would continue to give back to this organization," Ley said.
Twenty years later, she's one of the longest-serving volunteers at Ronald McDonald House of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.
"I have always wanted to give back to families in need who had sick children and needed help like this, because I know what it is like to take care of a sick child," she said.
Ley started out helping families at the local houses. Now, she organizes fundraising events and the annual gala.
Ronald McDonald House volunteersMelanie Ley
"I chair the gala committee now, which is the largest fundraiser for the charity. But I started out at the houses. I cooked, baked cookies, I gave tours, I even helped renovate a bathroom," she recalls.
Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms are designed to keep families together with their hospitalized children. They provide housing, food and support for families while their children are receiving treatment nearby.
There are five Ronald McDonald Houses and three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms across Chicagoland.
During the pandemic, volunteer hours dropped significantly.
From March 2020 to December 2021, the organization is believed to have missed out on more than 71,000 on-site volunteer hours, equaling more than $2 million worth of volunteer support.
Ley says some volunteers have returned in recent months and are making a difference for families who rely on the organization.
Soccer event related to Ronald McDonald House CharitiesMelanie Ley
Opportunities, she said, include "being at the front desk to welcome families or working behind the scenes, volunteering at events or registration, volunteering your talent painting a bathroom, cooking a meal or even giving a gift certificate for the families."
Ley puts in anywhere between 10 to 20 volunteer hours, in addition to her full- time job. Volunteering for Ronald McDonald House Charities had made all the difference in her life, she said.
"I never thought this would make such an impactful difference on my life. It's definitely fulfilling for me to be able to help the way I have over all these years," she said.
The organization is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. The goal this year is to raise $1.25 million. For information about volunteering, click here.
