Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of the Capital Region Inc.

“The 990 is reviewed by the national office of ronald mcdonald house charities. The 990 is also provided to the board of directors for their review prior to filing.”

“Individual committees work to ensure they adhere to the conflict of interest policy. The board and the executive director review voting items in advance for possible conflicts.”

“Salaries are benchmarked at the time of hiring and are reviewed annually to ensure compensation is in line with the organization's market.”

“The organization provides copies of its governing documents, policies, and financial statements upon request.”

“Ronald mcdonald house charities of the capital region, inc. Promotes the health, development and well-being of children and their families. We accomplish this through the ronald mcdonald house, a home away from home for families of seriously ill children, and by creating and supporting programs that directly improve the lives of children and their families.”

“The cornerstone of our charity is the ronald mcdonald house, which provides a home away from home, free of charge, for families with children who are terminally ill or facing life-threatening challenges. Staffed by volunteers and supported by generous donors, the house offers much more than just home-cooked meals and a comfortable place to stay. We help families face the burdens of childhood illness by providing a loving, compassionate environment where they can rest without having to worry about basic necessities. The support they receive from the house allows them to focus on what's really important: their child's recovery. It is also a place where families can connect with one another, sharing concerns, stories, hopes and encouragement. In 2015, a $2.4 million expansion project was complete, putting an end to waiting lists and the need to turn families away. With the additional space, we were able to serve 408 families with an average stay of 10 nights per family. These 408 families made a total of 635 unique visits to the house, accounting for a total of 6,069 night stays. This afforded families to spend thousands of hours bedside with their child to aid in their care and hasten their recovery. And though rmhc invested over $150 for each room night provided, no families were ever asked to pay for any of the services we provided.”

“Ronald mcdonald house charities (rmhc) extends its reach to the broader community by awarding grants to other 501(c)(3) local charitable organizations and programs that directly improve the lives of children. Twice yearly, our grants committee carefully screens applications from area nonprofit organizations operating in regions served by our local mcdonald's restaurants. Beneficiaries of rmhc grants are local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated an ability to respond to the needs of children and their families in a definitive, hands-on manner, yielding measurable results. Since 1996, rmhc has awarded nearly $2 million locally for worthwhile, sustainable, childcentered programs and services in the areas of health care, education and the arts, and civic and social services.”

“Our care mobile, operated in partnership with st. Peter's health partners (sphp), provides free, comprehensive dental care to underserved and underinsured children attending area schools. Our well-equipped, child-friendly "dental suite on wheels" serves elementary, middle and high school students in need of dental services, regardless of their family's ability to access or pay for those services. In june of 2006, ronald mcdonald house charities of the capital region, inc. (rmhc) launched a ronald mcdonald house care mobile in partnership with sphp. The care mobile addresses the restorative dental needs of children in the capital district, beginning with children within the city of albany. An initial 2005 study of kindergarteners and second graders in the city of albany was conducted to identify oral health needs. In the first two months of the project, more than 600 children in albany schools were screened. The results showed that 44% had dental issues. Further, dental problems have been identified as the second leading cause of absenteeism in capital district schools. Research shows that the following barriers exist within our community and result in children not receiving vital dental care: -while federally qualified health centers, local hospitals and public health departments offer some dental services, wait times are excessive. -there are only a handful of private dentists who accept medicaid and child health plus in the community. -the logistics and/or cost of travel to and from point of care locations is sometimes prohibitive. -parents may not have the ability to take time from work to attend appointments. The ronald mcdonald care mobile serves as an immediate solution to these barriers. If a child has billable insurance, the care mobile team will submit payment requests to insurance carries, if however, a child is uninsured; rmhc will pay for the services and not seek payment from their family. Throughout each year the program has many opportunities to provide educational and promotional outreach in the schools and in the community at large, such as, school open houses, fairs, classroom presentations and assemblies. There is also a volunteer component to the program. An annual team of at least 10 volunteers is needed to work with the students and support the dental team. Volunteers support the dental team by going into the schools and bringing the students from their classrooms to the care mobile. They offer encouragement, a coloring book and entertain the students while they wait for care and ensure proper paperwork is sent with the child to the parents after treatment. This support allows the dental team to concentrate on patient care. Currently, the care mobile serves 3 school districts with a student outreach of over 3,000 students. Through a given academic year the care mobile treats, on average, between 400-500 students.”

“Repairs and maintenance: program service expenses 69,630. Management and general expenses 3,638. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 73,268. Rmhc national: program service expenses 0. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 42,715. Total expenses 42,715. Miscellaneous: program service expenses 2,186. Management and general expenses 12,110. Fundraising expenses 6,457. Total expenses 20,753. Equipment: program service expenses 12,272. Management and general expenses 3,410. Fundraising expenses 1,137. Total expenses 16,819. Family room: program service expenses 15,157. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 15,157. Volunteer recognition: program service expenses 11,846. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 11,846. Memorabilia: program service expenses 11,500. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 11,500. Canister: program service expenses 0. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 10,250. Total expenses 10,250. Board of directors: program service expenses 2,849. Management and general expenses 2,935. Fundraising expenses 2,849. Total expenses 8,633. Donor recognition: program service expenses 2,363. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 2,363. Total expenses 4,726.”

“Irs 990 guidelines do not allow noncash contributions of volunteer services performed for the reporting organization to be displayed on the statement of functional expenses, part ix. Rmhc relies on volunteer services in order to meet the needs of the families we serve. Volunteer services and donated materials keep our costs low and serve as a means for our community to support our organization. While they do not appear on this document, in 2017 total donated volunteer services totaled $347,635. If not for the volunteers, rmhc would have had to incur a direct financial cost.”

“The oversight and selection process has not changed from the prior year.”