Verizon Foundation

Spotlight: Verizon Finance Serves It Up For Ronald McDonald House

Members of the Verizon team who volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House are (top row left to right): Gina Kaur, Susan Berry, Brian West, Elisa Weger, Ted Sowa and Jeff Guss; (bottom row left to right) Kirstin Whalen-Khan, June Blazek, Chelsea Gerstle, Patti Scott-Velazquez & Agnes Sadzewicz

Working with The Ronald McDonald House Charities is a great way to give back to the community and Verizon Finance's Customer Contract Compliance found a way to do just that!

Looking for a team-building outing, the Chicago based Finance group graciously turned their focus to the Ronald McDonald House "Food For Folks" volunteer program. The team spent a beautiful day at RMH near Children's Memorial Hospital in historic Lincoln Park of Chicago.

Originally built in the late 1800's, the remarkable mansion opened as Ronald McDonald House in 1977 to provide a "home away from home" for families visiting Children's Memorial Hospital from all over the world. It offers 21 bedrooms, fully equipped kitchens, a patio garden, family and play rooms, and many more nooks and crannies for residents to find respite from the day-to-day stresses of caring for sick loved ones.

Much of RMH's success is dependent upon a vast network of donors and volunteers. Ted Sowa and team, Susan Berry, June Blazek, Jennifer Foley, Chelsea Gerstle, Jeff Guss, Gina Kaur, Agnes Sadzewicz, Patti Scott-Velazquez, Elisa Weger, Brian West and Kirstin Whalen-Khan were more than honored to represent the Verizon Finance Organization and spend a day volunteering at the house.

The Verizon volunteers planned, shopped, chopped, grilled and served lunch with a Mediterranean flair for more than 30 residents and workers at RMH. Chicken and vegetable kabobs were served up with delicious fruit kabobs and an ice cream sundae bar for dessert. Residents and workers of RMH dined and mingled with volunteers while others took meals back to the hospital. Leftovers were packaged for those unavailable for lunch and RMH house director, Anne Czarnecki reported leftovers disappeared by the next day!

The group's efforts were rewarded with a tour of the house including a sneak peek into the secret toy room where young residents are given a coupon good for anything in the room - a little toy store right in the house! Also on the tour, the team was able to take a look at the drawings and plans for the new RMH coming soon to Chicago's downtown area.

The tour was a perfect end to an already fulfilling day for the Verizon Finance team. House director, Anne Czarnecki shared an insider's narrative of how RMH strives to make a difference and appreciates corporate citizens like Verizon to help make the house a comfortable, warm and welcoming place. For Verizon's CCC Chicago, partnering with the Ronald McDonald House was much more than just a team-building lunch - it was a great way to reach out and do their part to brighten the lives of people at the house and in the community.

Volunteer Spotlights:

The Verizon spotlight shines bright on employee, Stephanie Piston, who has been recognized for her extraordinary merits and volunteer efforts with domestic violence.

Verizon employee Dalia Santiago gives back to her local community through a variety of ways through her affiliation with the Verizon Pioneers.

Verizon employees in the Tampa, FL area help strengthen their local community through the Verizon Volunteer Day of Service

Verizon Finance employees in Chicago combine team building and volunteerism while supporting the Ronald McDonald House.

Verizon employee Delores Sapp recently volunteered as a chaperone for the 2009 Philadelphia NAACP ACTSO Competitors.

Verizon employee Sally Munroe has been involved with the Portal to Hope since 2001.

For the past three years Verizon Wireless Indirect Sales Manager Brian Lou has been volunteering his own vacation time to help those less fortunate.

Gabriel Silva, a VSO Network Engineering Specialist from Camarillo, Calif., has been "Coach Dad," to both of his sons' little league teams for the past six years.

Kimberly Jenkins has tirelessly worked to enrich the lives of those in the neighborhood she grew up in and the middle school she once attended.

Verizon Wireless Assistant Retail Store Manager Trish Fox rallied her fellow employees to help build housing for underprivileged families through Habitat for Humanity.

Learn how Sherrill Moss is changing society one person at a time with the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.

Rita Taylor took steps to ensure the safety of 600 high school kids, making sure the biggest night of their young lives has a safe and happy ending.

Students in India are learning English and life lessons with the help of Verizon volunteers.

Kathy McCrystal mentors three young children in her community.

For nine years Michael Malone has been helping children with mathematics.

Share a Verizon employee's successful volunteer story.

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