Denver College of Nursing Students Feed Over 100 Ronald McDonald House Families

Fifteen Denver College of Nursing (DCN) students cooked and served dinners for over 100 Ronald McDonald House-Denver family residents and staff, said Mike Ruschival, director of student services.

DCN’s Student Nurse Association has committed community outreach and service hours on a regular, ongoing basis for the two Denver-area Ronald McDonald Houses, said DCN student Alex James, community event coordinator for the DCN Student Nurse Association (SNA).

Over the past four years, DCN’s Student Nurse Association has involved over 200 students donating over 500 hours of time to serve meals to nearly 400 families residing at Ronald McDonald House Denver and Aurora.

“I have always believed that the Ronald McDonald House is a way for us students to learn and listen to families speaking their truths,” James said. “I am just grateful for the opportunity to be able to do this for families that just need a hand in their time of strife. I believe that this is a great service provided for the families and we all at DCN hope to continue working with the Ronald McDonald House of Denver.”

For the past 36 years, Ronald McDonald House® Charities of Denver has offered a loving home away from home to families needing to be near their seriously ill or injured children while they're being treated at metropolitan area hospitals.

In 2016, Ronald McDonald House-Denver opened its new wing to accommodate an additional 44 families, increasing the total number of families accommodated to 73. The Denver and Aurora Ronald McDonald Homes usually are at full capacity.

“The Ronald McDonald House’s mission is to provide a ‘home away from home for families of children being treated at area hospitals and to support community programs that serve the needs of children.’ One of the ways our community helps is to provide family meals. Parents of in-patient children spend their entire day with their child in the hospital, which is isolating and stressful. When families come back to the House in the evening, being served a warm meal and having time to sit and talk to other families is richly rewarding. I have had families tell me how much they have enjoyed talking to our dinner providers and how nice it is to know someone cares about them,” said Sandra Wiersma, Denver house manager, Ronald McDonald Charities of Denver.

DCN students who participated included: Madison Harris, Alicia Bryniarski, Priscilla McKay, Lauren Humphrey, Maggie O’Keefe, Sarah Burton, Eryn Slap, Meaghan Mitchell, Shannon Ball, Ashleigh Garvin, Kellie Lind, Susan McClanathan, Kendra Ginn, Brie Essman and Alex James.