Day 10 was our first service day in Columbus, OH. We went to the Ronald McDonald House to help out. The house is a place for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It is designed to be a home away from home, and is run by mostly volunteers.
When we arrived at the house, we got to take a tour. The house is under going an expansion that adds over 40 more rooms, making it the largest Ronald McDonalds house in the world.
The rooms that we saw were so nice. There were fitness rooms, game rooms, a music room with fun instruments, a library, theater, and more. The house looked like a great place to stay while a family is going through a rough time when their child is sick. People process stress of illness and worry differently, and the organization does a good job to provide families with everything they would need. Some stay for 7-10 days as their children receive treatment, but some patients are long term. They are currently working on a few houses next to the building for families who stay longer.
After taking a tour, we got to work. I helped with getting the newly built rooms ready. They were pretty dusty from all the construction, so our job was to sweep the floors, clean the bathrooms, put in lampshades and lightbulbs, and polish the furniture. I ended up polishing the wooden furniture for two hours. It was pretty fun to work together, listening to music blasting from our iPhones.
Some of us also helped with laundry, stock a food pantry, and assemble some furniture. It's amazing how the place is run mostly by volunteers. It was like a hotel.
After about two hours of work, we were pretty exhausted and took advantage of the new Tempurpedic mattresses. I power napped for a few minutes.
We finished at about 3, and many of us had only eaten breakfast. We were all hungry and needed something to tide us over before dinner. But before we left, we had to take a photo with Ronald McDonald. Of course.
We were recommended to Jenis by a waitress for delicious homemade ice cream, so we decided to go there. Jenis has some really interesting ice cream flavors, including Saison with Sunflower, Cantaloupe and Suntea, and Brambleberry Crisp. I love anything yogurty, so I decided on Lemon and Blueberry Frozen Yogurt, Brambleberry Crisp, and Brown Butter Almond Brittle.
And when there is a waffle come option, I will most certainly get it. This was delicious and so worth it!
