UNMC skating event to help support Ronald McDonald House

Family event to support families-in-need

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha will present Freezin’ for a Reason on Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UNMC Ice Rink, 42nd Street between Emile and Dewey.

Bring your family and support a family that stays at the Ronald McDonald House. A $7.50 per person contribution – cash, check or credit cards accepted – provides:

  • Free ice-skating;
  • Free waffles from The Waffleman;
  • Free face painting and balloon animals; and an
  • Opportunity to meet Ronald McDonald himself.

The $7.50 per person contribution helps support a one-night stay for a family at the Ronald McDonald House. A free will donation is suggested for children 4 and under. All proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Have pop tabs? Bring them to the Dec. 7 event as Ronald McDonald House staff collects and recycles aluminum tabs to help defray its operational costs. Families also may choose to bring an item from the Ronald McDonald House wish list. Huber Chevrolet will be on site to encourage participants to “stuff the truck” with household/pantry items.

Visit www.rmhcomaha.org for wish list items, parking information and more.

UNMC leaders alongside McDonald’s owner/operators helped bring the Ronald McDonald House to 620 S. 38th Ave. in Omaha in 1994. Since then, the Ronald McDonald House has provided for hundreds of families who have brought their sick children to Omaha for medical care.

In 2012, 70 percent of the patients whose families called the Ronald McDonald House home were from UNMC; many were patients in UNMC’s intestinal rehabilitation program. UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, is home to one of the most reputable and well-known organ transplant programs in the country. Its health care teams provide comprehensive treatment for diseases that affect the liver, intestine, kidney, pancreas and heart.