Oasis Elementary students help Ronald McDonald House
Kids, students and administrators at Oasis Elementary School, most dressed in red and white, stood in the parking lot on a sparkling Friday morning for the school picture of a lifetime.
It was for a good reason, of course.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida is encouraging businesses, groups, individuals and schools to show their support for RMHC by wearing red and white throughout the month of October.
The children at Oasis didn’t want to wait that long, dressing up while Ronald himself came to entertain the younger students while teaching them a valuable lesson about friendship and bullying.
This week, in honor of Children’s Cancer Awareness Month, Oasis has been raising funds for various foundations and the students held a “Red, White and You” function where everyone donated money to various charities, including Ronald McDonald House.
“We raised more than $1,200 to give to Ronald McDonald House,” said Oasis Elementary principal Steve Hook. “We’re just celebrating with the Red, White and You campaign and take a big picture of the school.”
Angela Katz, event coordinator for Ronald McDonald House, said the event was to spread awareness about what Ronald McDonald House does in the community.
“We’re encouraging everyone to wear red and white and share why they support us sometime during the month of October,” Katz said. “We came here to get their support, we’ve gotten it for the last few years and they took it to an amazing level and turned the whole school red and white.”
Ronald came to teach the K-3 students, who jammed into the cafeteria, about friendship and what to do if confronted by a bully.
“Me and Trixie, my assistant, we do a play ‘how about how to avoid bullies’ and to tell someone if they’re being bullied,” Ronald McDonald said. “It’s a show we do all over the country.”
Marylin Fermanich, who played Trixie, said they do more than 140 shows a year about friendship, giving back, and a magic suitcase show at the restaurants, the Ronald McDonald House and at hospitals.
It was then off to the parking lot for a school photo with every student at the school, with Hook leading the way as photographers on the roof took the group photo before it was back to class and lunch.
Oasis does many ongoing charity events for Ronald McDonald House, including the collection of pop tops and collecting pennies, which happens later in the year, Hook said.
“We talk to the kids about being kind, caring and loving, and we think giving back to those things is good,” Hook said.
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children throughout Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Hendry and Glades counties.
Its core programs include the Ronald McDonald House, a home away from home for families who have children getting medical treatment at the Golisano Children’s hospital.
There is also the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, grants to support children’s programs and scholarships to deserving high school seniors, Katz said.