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For More Information: 615-343-4000 or rmhcnashville.com

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDNashville, TN

Permit No. 763

Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Nashville is one of 302 Houses worldwide. The House provides shelter, emotional support, understanding and a home-like

environment to families during their time of need. Please help continue the caring!

HouseNotes

What should have been a funfamily vacation in Crossville,Tennessee from Issaquah,Washington, didn’t turn outquite as Jason and CharlieMeert and their two year old son Rylan had expected. Just 30 weeks into her pregnancy in early June while

in Crossville, Charlie woke up to find herself in labor.

The Meert family was quickly transferred by ambulance to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville arriving in the wee hoursof the following morning. Doctors worked to stop labor, but justan hour later, Charlie and Jason welcomed a 3-pound, 9 ouncebaby girl named Maylee.

The baby they’d nicknamed Mei Mei before shewas born, Chinese for “little sister,” would haveto stay in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive CareUnit for an estimated five or more weeks.Charlie, Jason and Rylan needed a place to stay.

The hospital’s social worker suggested a placethey had never heard of, the Ronald McDonald

House (RMH). The Meerts moved from relative to relative,looking around for somewhere to call their temporary homeand even considered a long commute from Crossville. Stillhesitant about the unknown, they had trouble finding any other facility that took adults and children.

After a few days, RMH called to say they had a room. Jason says,“Charlie went to check out RMH and said ‘We’re moving in assoon as we can.’ As soon as I got there, it all made sense.” Charlie

adds, “We were so thankful to have a place where we didn’t haveto worry about leaving the next day. It definitely felt like a home away from home; everyone was so welcoming, so warm and friendly to us.”

Staying a few minutes from the hospital was a huge plus for theadults and Rylan found a new set of friends. Charlie says, “Rylanhad no idea what was going on. It was a bit of a traumatic eventfor him. The staff and volunteers were so friendly and loving tohim and really helped him through the experience.” Rylan

loved spending time in the playroom and was evencrowned “king” for the annual4th of July parade!

Staying at the House for 46nights, the Meerts came toknow others and became part

of a very special network of support. Charlie says, “You get toknow some of the other families, sharing and helping when youcan.” Jason also enjoyed another aspect of House life thatmade their stay more like home. “While we were there peoplewere coming in to cook dinner almost every night so I felt like itwas like being at home.”

Finally, on July 24th, the family of four flew home to Washingtonwith just an oxygen concentrator to help Mei Mei breathe on theflight. She is doing great back home and has no signs of problemsdue to her early arrival. Jason’s advice for other families aboutRMH is, “If there’s a spot open, jump in and stay there.”

The Meerts will always be part of the Nashville Ronald McDonaldHouse family even though they live so far away!

A Communicative Publication of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, Tennessee, Inc.

2144 Fairfax AvenueNashville, Tennessee 37212

House Notes

F A L L 2 0 1 1 A Communicative Publication of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, Tennessee, Inc.

SHADRACK’SChristmas WonderlandLight Show is Back!

Prepare to be dazzled by aChristmas light spectacle likeyou’ve never seen before!

RMHC of Nashville will be selling tickets, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the House, beginningNovember 1st, to visit the Christmas Wonderland Light Show andSanta’s Village, where you can get out and enjoy refreshments, rides,visits with Santa and more. The show runs between November 11,2011 through January 8, 2012 from dusk until 10 p.m. weekdaysand 11 p.m. weekends at Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at 2572 MusicValley Drive, Nashville, TN 37214.

Although tickets normally cost $25 per car, our tickets are available for$10 per car. To purchase your ticket today, please visit the House at2144 Fairfax Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212. Only tickets purchasedthrough the House will benefit our programs. Simply drive up,tune in your car’s radio, and let the Christmas spirit take you away!You simply must see it to believe it. To preview, visit shadrackchrist-mas.com to see previous light shows.

A Vacation Full of Surprises!

Southern Living ShowcaseHome to Benefit Our House

Capturing the charm and beauty of Southern Living magazine,Nashville’s top interior designers have teamed with Castle Homes andLP Building Products in presenting the Southern Living ShowcaseHome with the latest ideas in home design, green innovation and newbuilding products in the beautiful, new Dorset Park neighborhood inBrentwood, Tennessee.

With RMHC of Nashville as the benefitting charity, the 4,460-square-foot, fully-furnished home’s opening weekend is Friday, October 21 and then Thursdays through Sundays until November 6 from 11 a.m.until 7 p.m. Advance tickets are now available online for $10 at ticketsnashville.com. Tickets are also available at the gate for $14.Children 12 and under are free. The After The Tour Sale is Monday,Nov. 7 when items in the home are available for purchase from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

OUR 2011 HOLIDAY WISH LIST *

• Frames • Albums • Journals • Jewelry for preteens/teens • Lotion gift sets • Perfume gift sets • Gift cards (restaurants, movie, Target,Wal-Mart) • Phone cards • NEW DVDs (PG13, PG, G) • NEW CDs/CD Players • Infant sleepers • Infant socks/booties • Rattles/baby toys • Bottles• Infant receiving blankets • Barbie dolls • Baby dolls (all ethnicities) • Toy trucks/cars • “Kid” tool sets • Play kitchen sets • Thomas the Train cars• Sports equipment • Playstation/Xbox Players & Games (New) • iPods • Board games for teens • Art sets/craft sets.

FOR THE HOUSE: Kitchen knives • Utensils (spoons, forks) • Measuring cups • Handheld beaters • Pillows • Pillow Protectors • Microwaves• TV w/ DVD player *Please note: All items listed need to be new product.

RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF NASHVILLE House Notes

IN MEMORIAMJULY 2011 – OCTOBER 2011

Our Friends from Jaguar Porsche AudiNashville collected wish list items

for the House. Thank you!Instead of receiving birthday gifts,Tatum Kelly, whose parents stayedwith us two different times, raisedmoney for the kids at the House.

Ronald McDonald kicks off the 1st Annual Hustle for the House

5K and 1 Mile Fun Run!

Leo Giaudrone and his brother, Val stopby the House to visit. The Giaudrone

family has stayed at the Nashville Houseoff and on since 2006.

Our friends from Martin Brower prepare breakfast for our families.

What a wonderful treat!

Stephen and Karen Hackett present a checkfor $10,000 from The Jordan Hackett Foundation. The Hackett’s stayed at the Nashville House while their son,

Jordan was in a local hospital.

Employees of Wells Fargo Bank presentRMHC of Nashville with a $1,000 checkduring their Days of Giving Presentation.

If you are interested in making a donation In Honor or In Memory of someone special, please visit our website:www.rmhcnashville.com and click the donate button near the top of the web page.

Meet Shelly, our MTSU intern for the fallsemester. Welcome to the House!

We would like to thank these generous sponsors and donors of RMHC of Nashville...

Around Our House

The Tennessee Trucking Association present a check for over $10,500 to RMHC of Nashville. The money was raised at the annual Big Rigs for Little Kids Golf Tournament.

The Nashville Predators show off their giftto the Nashville Ronald McDonald House.

The Nashville Predators Foundationgranted the new community refrigerator

for our families.

Mark Your Calendars!We hope you’ll join us for our upcoming special events with all proceeds benefiting RMHC of Nashville.

For more information about our events or to register, please call 615-343-4000, email

events@rmhcnashville.com or visit rmhcnashville.com/events.

Our 14th Annual d’Vine Selections Wine Tasting and Silent Auction will be held on

Friday, November 11, 2011 inside the beautiful Jaguar Porsche Audi Nashville

showroom. More than 100 wines provided by wine expert Ed Fryer of RED Spirits &

Wine and a delicious selection of heavy hors d’oeuvres graciously donated by area

restaurants will be featured. Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on an array

of unique silent auction items including artwork, jewelry, trips and dinners. We are seeking sponsors, silent

auction items, and committee volunteers for this event. Individual tickets are $60 in advance or $70 at the door.

Join us on Monday, January 30, 2012 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for the 6th Annual An

Extraordinary Evening at The Palm. For one night only, The Palm will allow us to take

over the restaurant for an event where you will enjoy a lavish dinner buffet featuring

decadent menu items from The Palm’s celebrated menu, a fine selection of wine,

cocktails, musical entertainment and a unique silent auction. Past auction items include

trips to Napa Valley and beach destinations, a Chef’s dinner prepared in your home, a Palm caricature drawing

and four-course dinner, fur coats, private flying lessons, trips, jewelry, and many more quality items. Individual

Tickets are $150 per person; Patron and Sponsor packages range from $500 per couple to $5,000.

The Power of Pull Tabs!On Friday, November 18, experience the power and join inon the fun for the 7th Annual Pull Tab Collection ChallengeContest for RMHC of Nashville!

Last year, more than 54,800 students from 112 schools from acrossmiddle Tennessee, southern Kentucky and northern Alabama took onthe challenge of collecting the most aluminum tabs from cans that can berecycled. This contest is a fun way to involve schools in a philanthropyproject that encourages a simple and small way to give that collectivelyadds up to a large donation for RMHC of Nashville.

Highlights from last year

• 208,534.33 ounces or 13,033 lbs. of pull tabs were collected

• 15,640,074 can tabs recycled @ $ .40 per pound equaled $5,213 raised!

This exciting project will help us raise money for the programs run byRMHC of Nashville while bringing attention to our mission to “keepfamilies close” during the critical illness of a child. Please visit ourwebsite at rmhcnashville.com to download a school registration formand fax it in to the House as soon as possible to register your school’sparticipation.

For More Information: 615-343-4000 or rmhcnashville.com

Share-a-NightSmall Donations That Make a Big DifferenceThe Nashville Ronald McDonald House is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. And every night our 32 rooms are full withfamilies, who are far away from home, caring for their critically ill childand many more are on our waiting list. Although the cost per night, perroom is more than $83, we only ask families to pay $15 per night to staywith us and we have never turned a family away if they are unable to pay.Many of our costs are similar to those of running any household, but on amuch larger scale for our 32,000-square-foot, 32-bedroom House.

Currently, more than 90% of families cannot afford to pay even a portionof the $15 per night fee, so we ask you to help us “Share a Night” withfamilies by making donations of $15 or more to underwrite the cost.Just $15 underwrites one night, $105 underwrites one week and $420underwrites one month’s stay. Our goal here at the Nashville House is totake away stress so the families can concentrate on their child. Imaginehow you can help if you participate in the Share a Night program!

Please contact us if you would like to make a donation or to find outmore about how you can Share-a-Night and help families of criticallyill children.

Jose CamposEmber Hodge

Kenneth LankfordWeston Ramsey

Nevaeh RobertsTessa ScottStormie WardMya Young

2011 Board of DirectorsPresident

MENDY MAZZO

President-Elect

MIKE RALSTONSecretary

JIM DANIEL

Treasurer

STAN YORK

ADVISORY BOARD

STAFF

Executive Director Elizabeth Miller Piercy

House Manager Kaye Slater

Development Director Heather Corum Powell

Volunteer Coordinator Kirra Menees

House Operations Coordinator,Outreach & Communications Coordinator

Amy Lawson Anders

Administrative Manager Cheryl Henderson

Maintenance Chris Curtis

Housekeeping Paula Markham

Resident ManagerYuliya Sokolova

2144 Fairfax Avenue • Nashville, Tennessee 37212615-343-4000 • Fax: 615-343-4004

rmhcnashville.com

Jacky Akbari

Ted Bertuca, Jr.

Don Birdwell

Doug Brandon

Barbara Cannon

Frank Chalfont

Janet Cross

Tom Dodge

Michelle Dube

Dennis Green

Paul Hain

Diane Hargrove

Kristen Heggie

Eric Kruse

Micah Lacher

Helen Lane

Lee Maness

Blake Mayes

Dave McGahren

James Pelletier

Mark Pierce

Lori Reid

Bill Rochford

Chris Talbott

Tim Templeton

Anna Verner

Alex Waddey

Brian Williams

Kelley Weninger

Carol Ann Wilson

Judy Wolfsberger

Alice Yopp

Pam Zimmerman

Susan Andrews-ThompsonYvette BoydIan Burr, M.D.

Newtonia ColemanNicki J. CookJulian CornettTom Doyle, M.D.

Tim FarleyWilliam FarrisMary Fox

Jerry Garrett

Don HancockLeslie HoughBill HudsonSteve LaneLarry LipmanLarry OdomEddie Phillips

Wright Pinson, M.D.Barbara SpellerFred Turner

Lucy Marshall WhiteTommy Wilson

As we come to the end of our 20th year of serving families of critically illchildren, we’re thinking far into the future about how we can continue toserve families for many years to come. Planned giving is a vital part ofour long-term future.

By remembering us in your will or estate plans, you help make surethat we can provide a “home away from home” for future generationsof guest families.

There are many forms of planned gifts that can help you make a moresignificant gift than you ever imagined, without sacrificing income or security for your own family.

•A bequest in your will or living trust lets you take care of loved ones first and then make a remarkable difference in the lives of others.

•Naming us as a beneficiary of your retirement plan can help your heirs avoid double taxation while sharing your generosity with our families as well.

•The gift of life insurance transforms a modest investment intoa much larger benefit both for you and for the families we serve.

Your planned gift can support a particular program or service the Houseprovides, honor a loved one, or be designated to our endowment fund.

Individuals who have made a bequest or estate gift to the House are wel-comed as lifetime members of our Children’s Legacy Society. Memberswill be regularly recognized and thanked for their enduring generosity.

We also respect that some donors prefer anonymity. We would invite youto let us know about your plans on a confidential basis in any case. Thisgreatly helps us plan wisely for the future.

Children’s Legacy Society