RMHC Family Room Program Volunteer Portal
We are so excited to continue adding even more to the Volunteer Portal in an effort to keep our volunteers informed and engaged! The homepage will be updated every month with new tips and useful information for all volunteers! Each hospital tab will continue to be updated weekly with the current schedule and specific Room updates!
All the Latest
UPDATES
Offering a home-cooked meal is one of many important ways we can provide our guest families with the comfort of home, especially after a long day at the hospital.
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Meals must be prepared in a government-inspected kitchen and can be planned ahead of time to be donated to any of our Family Rooms in the St. Louis area.
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Meals can be donated by an individual, family, group of people, or business.
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We would love your help to continue providing this source of comfort to those who call our Family Rooms their home-away-from-home!
Interested in donating a meal like this? Reach out to Courtney Fischer, Director of Family Room Program at cfischer@rmhcstl.com.
Meal Donors Needed
Volunteer Responsibility Reminders
The Family Room thrives on volunteers like you! You're here for a very special and important role: To help provide a warm and friendly atmosphere for guest families as they utilize the Family Room as an oasis and to provide a break from the hospital environment without leaving the hospital for our guest families.
Guest families are so excited to come to the Family Room and know that there's volunteers ready to help them if needed, in any capacity that the Family Room provides.
To do so, please remember that as a volunteer, you must present yourself as available, and not distracted on your phone, on a phone call, work, laptop, reading, at all times. These actions are not banned from the Family Room because we absolutely know there can be down times during your shift, but when guest families enter, or Family Room Staff enter, be present for those that enter and be available to them.
Your cheerful assistance and willingness to be available is a great source of comfort to the families and will have a profound effect on their hospital experience.
Warm and Welcoming
On Call: Explained
How to:
On Call
The Family Room has a really wonderful resource for volunteers to utilize since we can't have Family Room Staff in the Family Room's 24/7! This resource is our on-call phone and to make sure everyone understand how the on-call phone works, I'm providing an explanation below :)
Courtney Fischer, Courtney Bradshaw, and Cierra West all rotate who is on-call on a weekly basis. The schedule is posted in the right column on this page to get an idea of who you will be talking to when you call, but the on-call phone # always remains the same, regardless of who is on-call:
With the on-call phone number, you must call when you need something because texting is not an option. When you call this #, it forwards to our personal cell phones and text messages do not get forwarded, so will not see your texts. If you don't want to call, emailing is an option, to familyroom@rmhcstl.com
Although the reasons are limitless, here is a brief list of the reasons you would call the on-call phone:
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You are running late to your shift
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You are calling out within 24 hours of your shift because of an illness, emergency, etc.
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You have a general question during your shift and don't want to email
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The Volunteer computer isn't working
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Special Family Room family circumstances
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An emergency
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Family Room Family Issues
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Etc.
Shift Coverage Needed in Family Rooms
All of our Ronald McDonald Family Rooms are opened: Monday-Sunday, 9am-9pm.
Below are the shifts we currently have re-occurringly opened and are in need of some love! The availability listed below is updated at the beginning of each month but may change throughout the month without being updated on here. If you are interested in picking up a re-occurring shift or switching your current schedule, do not hesitate to reach out to Courtney Bradshaw at cbradshaw@rmhcstl.com.
E= Every week EO= Every Other Week
Shifts in Need
Glennon
Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital
9am-12pm: Wednesday; Friday
12pm-3pm: Tuesday; Thursday
3pm-6pm: Tuesday
6pm-9pm: Friday; Sunday
Mercy Kids Children's Hospital
NICU
9am-12pm: Sunday
12pm-3pm: Saturday
3pm-6pm: Friday; Saturday; Sunday
6pm-9pm: Wednesday-Sunday
3rd Floor
9am-12pm: Saturday
12pm-3pm: Saturday
3pm-6pm: Friday; Sunday
6pm-9pm: Monday; Tuesday; Thursday-Sunday
Mercy
St. Louis Children's Hospital
9am-12pm: none
12pm-3pm: Friday, Saturday
3pm-6pm: Thursday
6pm-9pm: Friday, Sunday
SLCH
Who does what? Within the Family Rooms!
As always, if you're unsure who to contact, reach out to one of us and we will point you in the right direction if needed!
Cierra West: Our Assistant Family Room Manager will plan activities for the guest families, fill open shifts at all three Family Rooms, and will also send out the monthly surveys to new Family Room Families! She will also be the Meal Donation Organizer, the Monday Inventory gal, and the Up-keeper of all appliances or maintenance calls at all three Family Rooms.
When to email/call her:
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Something with inventory is needed (snacks, towels, pens, paper)
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An appliance is malfunctioning (washer/dryer, coffee pot, sink)
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When she's on-call (check the on-call schedule!)
Courtney Bradshaw: As the Family Room Program Coordinator, Courtney fills open shifts at all three Family Room as well as recruits, onboards, trains, and does the scheduling for all volunteers at all three Hospital locations. She is to gal that communicates any hospital-specific or FR-specific information, as well as updates the Volunteer Portal.
When to email/call her:
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Any scheduling matter (signing up for a shift, calling out, etc.)
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Any communication clarification
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When she's on-call (check the on-call schedule!)
Courtney Fischer: As the Family Room, Director, oversees all of the Family Rooms, Family Room Staff, and Family Room Volunteers. She spends much of her time coordinating with our hospital partners in creating a better environment for the volunteers and guest families!
When to email/call her:
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As needed
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When she's on-call (check the on-call schedule!)
Susan Peck: As the Family Room Associate, Susan is a great addition to our Family Room Team, covering mostly evening and weekend shifts that don't have volunteer coverage, building strong relationships with the guest families, and will be very knowledgeable about each hospital location. She will be a great resource to communicate with if any issues or concerns come up too!
We are still hiring for one or two more Family Room Associates. Interested in this position? Reach out to Courtney Fischer cfischer@rmhcstl.com and she would love to chat with you about it!
The more you know!
Staff Spotlight
June 2-8: Courtney Bradshaw
June 9-15: Cierra West
June 16-22: Courtney Bradshaw
June 23-29: Courtney Fischer
Calling the on-call phone number is the easiest way for you to get ahold of us, or by email if you need anything!
On-Call Number:
Call: 314.930.5292 (do not text)
Email: familyroom@rmhcstl.com
On-Call
SCHEDULE
In guidance with each host hospital, the Ronald McDonald Family Room abides by the hospital’s COVID protocol and masking protocol.
This information will be updated as updates comes from your hospital to keep you informed as possible.
Let us know if you ever have any questions!
Cardinal Glennon's COVID Protocol (3/2023)
Mercy Kids' COVID Protocol (3/2023)
St. Louis Children's COVID Protocol (3/2023)
Masks and
COVID Protocol
REMINDER
Dress Code
Expectations
Our hospital partners have dress codes that RMFR Volunteers must follow and abide by during our time in the hospital. These expectations are set by the hospital. Please take a look and let us know if you have any questions!
Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital Dress Code
Mercy Children's Hospital Dress Code
If you've ever wondered how can a family stay at the Ronald McDonald Houses, or maybe you've had a Family Room guest family ask you, check out the FAQ's on how to stay! These Q's and A's can also be found in the volunteer desk!
Ronald
McDonald House
Staying at the
Virtual Tours
Family Room
Check out the Virtual Tours of our St. Louis Ronald McDonald House and Family Rooms, Here!
Hear what the RMFR Families are saying!
“We appreciate this amenity more than you will ever know.”
Cardinal Glennon Family Room, Family
“The volunteers were very helpful and resourceful always made sure I got everything I needed while there and some extra.”
Mercy Kids Family Room, Family
“This room and the volunteers helped provide a lot of positivity during a rough time in my family’s life and we will forever remember and be grateful!!”
“Fantastic group of volunteers...What a great resource”
St. Louis Children's Family Room, Family
