Ronald McDonald House Wellington turns 25

Tuesday 29th November

Ronald McDonald House Wellington turns 25

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in Wellington celebrated 25 years this month.

The Wellington House was opened in 1991 and was the first Ronald McDonald House in New Zealand to support families on their children’s medical journeys.

The late Lionel Whitehead, former deputy chairperson of RMHC New Zealand saw the need for accommodation for families with children undergoing specialist medical treatment and campaigned to open the much needed service for Kiwi families.

The original House with 11 rooms proved to be a lifeline for many families and children who had to travel to Wellington for treatment. However, with the increasing demand for services the decision was made to re-build.

The $15 million project involved a series of campaigns to raise the money needed to build the new House. The community got behind Ronald McDonald House and on Friday 28th of October 2012, the House was officially opened and the ribbon was cut by Lionel Whitehead, Joanna Todd and Kobe Uhlenburg, a regular resident at RMHC.

With 34 rooms, a spacious kitchen and dining area, cinema, games room and home-style lounges, the new House was a vast improvement and has since been a safe haven for countless families away from their homes.

To celebrate RMHC Wellington’s 25th birthday, sponsors, volunteers and families were invited to the House for a birthday party where guests walked through a timeline depicting the history of the House and enjoyed food and drinks.

Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand CEO Wayne Howitt said “It was a wonderful celebration where everyone from our RMHC family were able to meet and share their stories as well as a chance for our generous supporters to see just how much they have impacted the lives of everyone who has walked through our doors over the past 25 years. It’s a ground breaking time at RMHC at the moment and I’m excited to be involved in supporting more families from across the country than ever before”.

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