C'mon, Get McHappy

We all sat still, listening, hanging on her words. But Toni Santiago's voice suddenly crumbled, and in that moment, we saw her strength and raw emotion bubble to the surface. Toni is grappling with a situation no mother ever wants to find herself in – her 9-year-old son Carlo has cancer.

I was among a group of  mom bloggers who came together on Friday to tour the Ronald McDonald House near Childrens Hospital Los Angeles on Sunset. For more than 30 years, the Ronald McDonald Houses throughout the U.S. and beyond have provided an affordable, comfortable and supportive place to stay for parents and siblings who are dealing with probably one of the most difficult times in their families' lives.

With resolve and practiced composure, Toni continued to share the message of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, which have given her and her family  a home away from home while her 9-year-old son receives treatment. He recently suffered a relapse, and Toni's husband is thousands of miles away at their home in Hong Kong.

"You just do what you have to do," Toni later told me. "You just do it."

As mothers, we can easily see ourselves in Toni's shoes – and for a lot of us, the experience brought home the fact that we need to put our fears aside and step up, just like these moms have to. And we learned a lot about Ronald McDonald House Charities. For instance, did you know:

• The greater L.A. area has five houses? We toured a one-year-old addition to the Fountain Avenue building, which with the original 1980 building can house 75 families.


• The homes have stocked kitchens where families often gather. "Food is the universal language," says Vincent Bryson, executive director of the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House. The homes also have laundry facilities, workout rooms and libraries as well as computer rooms and video game areas for "healthy" siblings.


• Families are charged only $25 per night (or whatever they can afford).


• The charities are supported locally by donations through those ubiquitous boxes at cash registers as well as local restaurant owner-operators (and other corporate and private donors and supporters).


• The Ronald McDonald House Charities also support mobile health clinics, scholarships and Family Rooms inside the hospitals.

How can you get involved? McHappy Day on Nov. 20 is a major fundraising time for the RMHC. On that day (actually, today through Nov. 20) you can visit your local McDonalds and purchase a "Give A Hand" for $1. Other ways to help include:

• Download the "Give A Hand for Ronald McDonald House Charities" Facebook application and share Hands to support the charities.


• On Nov. 20 purchase something from select menu items and $1 will be donated to RMHC.


• Volunteer! The L.A. Ronald McDonald House is always looking for kitchen help, office assistance, fundraising help and general family support. You can also help decorate for the holidays, provide gifts for holidays and birthdays or sponsor an event.
  
  L.A. mom bloggers surround Access Hollywood's Billy Bush and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres at an L.A. McDonald's, where we learned about Ronald McDonald House Charities.