Ronald McDonald House celebrates new housing program with ribbon cutting

JACKSON, Tenn. — It’s grand opening day for what will be an essential asset to the community: The Ronald McDonald House!

Their housing, care and assistance will provide a special space for up to 20 families whose children are receiving care at Le Bonheur Children’s and Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in West Tennessee.

“We’ve been checking census for the last month or two. We would be full right now if we were open so we are ready to go and ready to serve,” said Jill Crocker, executive director for the Ronald McDonald House in West Tennessee.

This initiative is made possible by the Ryder Lewis Memorial Fund.

Ryder passed away at the age of 13 from a boating accident in 2018 and now his parents use his memory to give back.

“So far we’ve given about $250,000 to the Ronald McDonald House charities and that’s allowed us to bring the house here in Jackson and we’ll continue to raise money for them. They actually have  a tournament coming up this week called hoops for the house. It’s a high school basketball tournament and we’ll raise money specifically for the Ronald McDonald House this coming weekend,” said Dr. Chris Lewis, co-founder of the Ryder Lewis Memorial Fund.

Families will have access to the Hyatt Hotel at 518 West Forest Avenue, and they are the only ones that will have restricted access to the Ronald McDonald area located on the second floor.

There will be options for overflow rooms if needed.

“We’re working very closely with the nursing team and social work to really help define who does need to be here and we certainly–for longer term stays–want to get those families in to help alleviate the financial burden,” said Crocker.

Crocker tells us more about what families can expect from their stay.

“They can expect really a home away from home, somewhere where they can relax, take a shower, get a snack and just be able to stay on the campus with their child,” said Crocker.

“This is going to provide that basic family center care that we always talk about at Le Bonheur which is so important,” said James Eubanks, president of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.

Co-founder of Ryder Lewis Memorial Fund, Tracy Lewis, shares what this moment means to their family.

“Ryder touched so many lives in our home, family, and friends  and now we get to share with the community,” said Lewis.

If you’re looking to help families make a difference you can support the Ronald McDonald House with financial donations, saving soda can tabs, visiting their website for wish list items, and you can always round up at your local McDonalds that goes directly to the house to help finance and help take care of families.

Families must live a minimum 30 mile radius from the location to receive care. January 5 is the official open house day for enrollment.

For more news in the Jackson area, click here.