04 Oct Hurricane Ian Update

Posted at 14:26h in Uncategorized by

10/24/22:

Hurricane Ian stole so much from the members of our community when it ripped through SWFL last month, and the families here at the House are no exception. Unfortunately, Golisano Children’s Hospital sustained significant flooding during the storm, and as a result, our families’ premature newborns had to be med-flighted to other facilities across the state.

While our families were beyond grateful to have a place to go, it was difficult on each of them to be away from Golisano and RMHC SWFL here in Fort Myers, where they all have expressed truly feels like home to them. In being scattered across the state, our families were also displaced from the family they have created amongst themselves – individuals who understand and empathize with each other’s struggles of being a NICU parent. Thankfully, our families were able to return safely to our House and have been rejoined with the community they have created here!

With babies arriving much earlier than anticipated, and dealing with the struggles of Hurricane Ian, these mothers weren’t able to have a baby shower! So, in an effort to bring about a sense of normalcy and celebrate these families (many with multiple babies in the NICU), the RMHC is hosting a baby shower for them on Saturday, October 29 at the Ronald McDonald House!

This is where you come in! We are asking anyone who would like to help these new families in the wake of disaster to please consider purchasing an item from our registry. We have seen this community come together in astounding and inspiring ways over the last few weeks! Let’s keep that momentum going for these deserving families!

Gifts can be delivered or dropped off to the Ronald McDonald House at 16100 Roserush Court, Fort Myers, FL 33908. Please have gifts to us no later than Friday, October 28th. Thank you so much for your help!

Registry Link: http://babylist.com/baby-registry-rmhc-swfl

10/4/22:

Where do we even begin? Above all, we hope this post finds you and your family safe and sound. As we reflect on the devastation of our community, nothing could have prepared us for this. Our hearts are heavy yet hopeful. Many have kindly reached out to check in and swiftly assist! We want to know the same! How are YOU doing?

They say setbacks are just setups for comebacks and come back, we shall! Let’s get down to business. Here are some updates:

  • The Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room are closed until further notice. For those asking, the House received very minimal damage; just waiting on water and internet to be restored. We were fortunate.
  • Volunteer programs are suspended for at least the next two weeks. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for any updates.
  • For those asking how you can help, please consider the following:
    • A monetary donation to our Emergency Hardship Fund (please select Emergency Hardship Fund from the “Gift Reason” dropdown box)
    • Donating gas, restaurant, and grocery store gift cards. Please mail them to 16100 Roserush Court, Fort Myers, FL 33908. If you prefer to drop them off, just hang on to them until the House is fully open. The area is still unsafe to drive through due to debris.

Again, we really want to hear from you. Please reach out to anyone on our staff via email:

Sending you all SOOO much love! We hope to be together again soon!

Sincerely,

The RMHC SWFL Team