Guest: Richard Pass (CEO of Ronald McDonald House in British Columbia & Yukon)
It is a home away from home for children who are ill or injured – that home is Ronald McDonald House, located on the Children’s Hospital complex in Vancouver. It provides families the opportunity to be together during the most stressful time of their lives. “There is a remarkable body of evidence that demonstrates the role parents and siblings play in the recovery process of children,” says Richard Pass, the CEO of Ronald McDonald House in British Columbia and Yukon.
The first house was opened as a 13-bed facility in the Shaughnessy area on October 4, 1983 and served 400 families a year. “More than 12,000 families benefited from our first location,” says Richard Pass. “Our biggest challenge was meeting the needs of BC families. We needed a larger facility and, in 2014, we moved to our 73 bedroom facility at Children’s Hospital.”
Today, Ronald McDonald House serves approximately 2,000 families annually. “And once again, the need exceeds our capacity; each year we’re turning away more than 500 families,” says Pass. “That’s why we're in the midst of a new capital campaign to expand the house.” The aim is to raise $100 million dollars and expand the house by another 75 self-contained suites.
We invited Richard Pass, the CEO of Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the value of caring for those in need, to families, and to our society.
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