RMHC Family Room Program
Volunteer Portal
January Volunteer Information
Thank you Holiday Volunteers!
We wanted to give a special thanks to our increidble volunteers who spent part of their Christmas Eve and/or Christmas in the Family Rooms so families still had somewhere to visit while in the hospital with their child over the holiday! Thank you so much:
Debby Martin Sara Alstadt
Kathy Fischer Carol Juelich
Chauncya Lucas Marla Wasserman
Rose Knowles Terry Meletio
Gary Kirwin Diane Lauff
Judy Duneman Mary Jo Kilgore
Debbie Neuport Val Rutterer
Lisa Will-Smith Linda Laferriere
Holiday Gifts (January Update)
If you have not recieved your Holiday gift yet (see photo below) please reach out to Cierra, cwest@rmhcstl.org and she will get bags sent to each locations labeled for those who have not gotten their bag yet! We have been doing our best to keep they stocked but for some reason we have been running out more quickly than we counted for!
We want to make sure all volunteers recieve one though so PLEASE reach out if you have not!
Winter Illness
We know there is so much going around right now when it comes to viruses and illness. Please do not risk it ifyou are not feeling well; call the on call number, leave a voicemail, or email us to let us know you.
We want to ensure we are keeping out guest families and patients safe so if you are questioning if you should come in, please call out! You likely could use the rest and we want to avoid spreading germs to a vulnerable population.
Family Room Program Staff
Courtney oversees everything within the Family Room Program, including staff, operations and volunteers. She works closely with our hospital and community partners to ensure we are operating at the highest level possible. When to email/call her: - Concerns regarding your volunteer experience -Concerns regarding guest families -Questions or comments regarding anything within the Family Room Program
Pete oversees the operations within the Family Rooms! He ensures the upkeep of all appliances and maintenance issues. In addition to this, he tracks inventory for the Rooms and keeps our warehouse stocked. You might see Pete in the Family Rooms collecting inventory, testing appliance or covering shifts! When to email/call him: - Inventory needs - Appliance issues
Cierra recruits, onboards, trains and schedules volunteers. You will hear from her weekly when she sends open shift emails! She also keeps the Volunteer Portal up to date. You will see her in the Family Rooms training new volunteers, checking in on volunteers and covering shifts as needed! When to email/call: - Questions regarding your volunteer schedule or the calendar -Questions about volunteer requirements
Susan is an integral part of our Family Room Team! Working part-time she picks up mostly evening and weekend shifts when volunteers are not available to esnure our doors are open as regularly as possible. Because of the time she spends in the Rooms she is able to build strong relationships with guest families and share perspective on processes/procedures.
Family Room Associate
Email:
Penny is the newest member of our team, taking on her role in late October 2025. Penny works in the same capacity as Susan as an integral part of our Family Room Team! Working part-time she picks up mostly evening and weekend shifts when volunteers are not available to esnure our doors are open as regularly as possible. Because of the time she spends in the Rooms she is able to build strong relationships with guest families and share perspective on processes/procedures.
On-Call Information
Please save the on-call phone number in your phone:
Family Room staff rotates on-call responsibilities weekly. This means someone should always be available, including during evenings and weekends. However, we may not be able to answer in the moment, so please always leave a voicemail when prompted.
The on-call phone number unfortunately does not have the ability to text!
General Contact Info:
Call: 314-930-5292 (do not text)
Email: familyroom@rmhcstl.org
Who We Are
Ronald McDonald Family Room Program
Serving over 52,000 visitors in 2024, when families walk into one of our Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, we want them to feel the comfort and care of our home-away-from-home. Just steps away from in-patient units, Ronald McDonald Family Rooms offer places of refuge to families whose children have been hospitalized because of illness or injury.
Ronald McDonald Family Room Volunteer Role
Although the RMHC Family Room Program is a global program, St. Louis is one of the only chapters to still identify itself as a volunteer-run program. This means we rely on volunteers daily to ensure the doors to our Family Rooms remain open for guest families. Open 9a.m.-9p.m., 7 days a week at four locations within our community. Our 250+ dedicated volunteers allows us to spend the tens of thousands of dollars we would have to pay staff to be in the Family Rooms on what is most important, the needs of the guest families.
What Family Room Families are Saying
Cardinal Glennon Family Room Family
“Thank you so much for providing this space for parents and patients. I can not thank you enough for being able to take a shower and have clean clothes without having to leave my son to take care of those things. This was truly a blessing!”
St. Louis Children's Hospital Family Room
"Having somewhere to go, just to sit for a moment of quiet, while my daughter was in the NICU is something I am very thankful for. I met so many volunteers who welcomed me in the room daily! We were lucky that our stay was only five days, but I can only imagine how important this space is for the families that have a longer journey. Thank you!"
Mercy Children's Hospital Family Room
“The volunteers were AMAZING!!”
“Friendly and definitely nice to get to relax and have a feel of not being at the hospital.”
“This was a beautiful place to sit and get a break from being in our hospital room for hours and days”
Family Room Statistics
January- August 2025
Numbers represent all Family Room locations combined