Make a Difference - Volunteer

Leaving the Ronald McDonald House this summer are two loyal volunteers who first came to the House in 1995.  RMH veterans Carol Ricci and Cathy Philbrick both chose to volunteer at the House after traumatic life events. Cathy’s husband passed away in 1994, inspiring her decision to volunteer because she “wanted to reach outside of my usual life and find something new that might benefit others as well.”  This selflessness also struck Carol, who, after seeing her brother lose his young child to an illness, turned to RMH to help others going through similar times.

They soon moved to the Tuesday night shift along with a third volunteer, Joan Roux, who now sub volunteers.  While the situations can often be difficult to handle, there were more laughs than there were tears.  One of Carol’s favorite memories is of Joan accidentally filling the dishwasher with the wrong soap, “and soon bubbles galore were spilling out from it all over the kitchen floor… We were doubled over in laughter. It was an episode straight out of ‘I Love Lucy,’” recalls Carol.  

Both remember the courage of the families.  For Cathy “it is the bravery of all these people that stands out in my mind.  Many people have made the most difficult choices to ensure their children have an opportunity to get well.”  Oftentimes, the families have never been to a city before or are here from foreign countries.  These guests are “really dependent upon us for guidance and compassion,” says Carol.  “It’s very gratifying to see the impact one makes on the lives of others who so need a friendly face and a helping hand.”  Cathy adds, “I was always proud when someone came to me to share their story and I was able to…help them solve a problem.”

But it is the connection between these two friends that is most astounding. “It seems you don’t often find new best friends after you reach a certain age; this is what I have found with Carol,” says Cathy.  Since Carol has taken a job in Massachusetts, Cathy feels ready to leave as well but both will remain on the sub list and may one day return to the House.  For now, though, Cathy says “it feels like it is time for two new friends to find each other on Tuesday nights.”

Thank you Cathy and Carol for the past 16 years!