Ronald McDonald House NYC and Skate with the Greats Event

This week, I had the pleasure of attending the Annual Ronald McDonald House New York fundraiser, “Skate with the Greats” featuring New York Rangers legends.

I will admit that I had not heard of the event but thought that this was a perfect event to attend on a Martin Luther King Day holiday. My daughter like many children her age only know McDonalds as a place to eat and buy toys. She certainly had no concept that Ronald McDonald House New York is a facility that provides shelter and support to children battling cancer.

It was truly an amazing event watching families from all over New York City joining the Rangers past and present as they kicked off their 85th anniversary year on the ice, bringing cheer and inspiration to the RMH-New York families.

From the my daughter’s perspective, I think it was an eye-opener seeing a 3 year old girl who obviously was receiving cancer treatments but her comment that she looked “pretty” with her earrings and red dress really made me proud that she did not comment on the fact that she did not have hair but just knew.

Of course, one of the highlights of the evening was meeting current players on the team. We weren’t able to meet the greats, Brian Leetch, Rod Gilbert , Ron Duguay, Nick Fotiu, Brian Mullen, Pete Stemkowski, Gilles Villemure because as you can imagine, they were mobbed by the crowd.

Here is more information about Ronald McDonald House NY and The Garden of Dreams Foundation:

Ronald McDonald House NY
Ronald McDonald House New York provides temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a strong, supportive and caring environment which encourages and nurtures the development of child-to-child and parent-to-parent support systems. Ronald McDonald House in New York City is the largest facility of its type in the world. The House can accommodate 84 families, and it is filled to capacity almost every night. The House’s location in Manhattan, in close proximity to 14 major cancer treatment centers, draws children and families from across the country and the world, as well as from the metropolitan New York City area. Since its founding, more than 25,000 families have stayed at Ronald McDonald House. For more information, visit www.rmh-newyork.org.

The Garden of Dreams Foundation
The Garden of Dreams Foundation is a nonprofit charity that works closely with all areas of Madison Square Garden, including the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, MSG Entertainment, MSG Media and fuse to “make dreams come true for children facing obstacles.” Garden of Dreams partners with local children’s hospitals, “wish” organizations and community-based organizations to build on-going, unforgettable programs for children in the tri-state area who are suffering from devastating illness, homelessness, abuse, hunger, extreme poverty and tragedy.