Emory Women's Basketball Partners Up With Ronald McDonald House

With the start of basketball practice for the 2011-12 season just days away,  the Emory University Women’s Basketball Team is keeping busy on and off of the court.

The team has partnered with the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities (ARMHC) for their community service efforts, with the results proving to be positive for both parties.  The mission of Ronald McDonald House (RMH) is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. In the case of the Atlanta-based RMH, its primary service is providing programs and housing to families of children receiving treatment for life-threatening illnesses at local hospitals.

The Emory Women's Basketball team has supported the mission of ARMHC through a variety of volunteer opportunities. Since returning to campus in late August, the squad has presented weekly “night activities” for families at the Ronald McDonald House on Gatewood Drive.  Bingo, trivia, or card games; the time they have spent with the children and families has been well-received (bringing candy as prizes always helps).

In addition to interacting with families, the Eagles’ basketball team also support the greater mission of ARMHC by assisting with outside events. In late September, ten members of the basketball team volunteered for ARMHC’s largest fundraiser of the year, the Brookhaven “Candlelight Tour of Homes.” This was an event that raised over $30,000 for the organization. Team members welcomed paying guests to a home in Brookhaven, assisted the hostess of the home, and gave information about rooms within the home. Team members and coaches alike had a great time hostessing this event, and were pleased to have been able to help with a major fundraising effort.

This past week, the team put on their work clothes to assist with moving mattresses at the Gatewod RMH. Families staying at the house left for the morning and afternoon so that an army of volunteers could work to take out old mattresses, build new bed frames, and haul new mattresses up into the rooms. Members of the basketball team volunteered to help out during the day as their class schedules allowed, and the task was completed by early afternoon.

The team looks forward to continuing their involvement with Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities as the season begins. They plan to present holiday-themed parties, crafts, and baking opportunities for the kids staying at Gatewood Ronald McDonald House. In addition, they will invite families to Sunday afternoon home games once contests begin later in the fall. It’s a safe bet that basketball hoops will be lowered for some pint-sized shot attempts, and that more fun will be had with the continued interaction of the Emory Women’s Basketball Team and the families at Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities.