Beyond the roof: Taking care of families in need

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn about the partnership between the Roofing Alliance and Ronald McDonald House. 

In 2017, Charles Antis of KPost Roofing and Waterproofing stood up in a Roofing Alliance meeting and suggested a nationwide project where roofers could adopt Ronald McDonald House programs. Our very own Heidi J. Ellsworth was there that day and has seen how that idea has grown over the last decade. To talk about this initiative, she hosted Katie Fitzgerald, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Global, for an episode of Contractor Outlook.  

Ronald McDonald House dates back to the 1970s when a renowned pediatric oncologist named Dr. Audrey Evans realized that many of the families of her patients at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia had nowhere to stay during treatment. For families who traveled especially far for their child’s treatment, some would even sleep in waiting room chairs or on hospital floors, just to be close  

In partnership with McDonald’s and the Philadelphia Eagles, she opened the first Ronald McDonald House, which provided families with free housing so they could be close to their children and the life-saving treatment they needed. Today, there are over 400 Housesin 60countries and regions.  

The growth was incredible, but with that growth came support needs. Katie explained:  

In the United States alone, our 165 standalone Houses, which are safe havens of comprehensive support for families with social services, emotional support, meals, transportation, art therapy and even schooling, take up around six million square feet of physical infrastructure. That’s a lot to take care of and honestly, our organization is very lean. Our Houses need help with the day-to-day operations, let alone the bigger maintenance tasks. 

It's that need that Charles’ idea aimed to fill, and the best part is it worked! Heidi shared some of her first-hand experience of what the mobilization looked like after Charles’ presentation to the Roofing Alliance in 2017, saying, “Contractors were calling contractors across the country. Someone from Philadelphia was calling someone in Oregon or Washington or wherever it may be and saying, ‘Hey, we're doing this here. You guys really should think about this.’ And it was because they shared their stories of supporting Ronald McDonald House and how powerful it was that a lot of people were able to get involved, adopt and be a part of this big program.” 

For Katie and broader Ronald McDonald House System, that mobilization was game changing. She explained, “I think since that time, there's been over $3 million of support for everything from maintenance to full-on roof replacement. The partnership is saving our nonprofit partners who perform this work tremendous amounts of money that they can put into the family instead. It’s been amazing... And one of the best parts is just seeing roofers all over the country fall in love with our mission and go beyond the roof to help. I know roofers around the country have been involved in other sorts of activities to take care of the houses beyond the roofs — fundraising, volunteering, collecting holiday gifts and more! They’re really connected with this mission so beautifully and we need the help.” 

Listen to the newscast or Watch the whole episode for more about how contractors all over are supporting Ronald McDonald House’s incredible mission.