Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Local family to be featured during Ronald McDonald House Nashville Calls for Kids Telecast April 16
A Lawrence County family is one of six families that will be during the Ronald McDonald House Nashville Calls for Kids Telecast that will be broadcast on April 16. The following is information released through the Nashville RMHC board. A link to the preview video is: HERE
Rachel Davis is a brave 11-year-old girl from Westpoint, Tenn., who has faced brain surgery and chemotherapy after doctors found tumors requiring immediate surgery. Rachel and her mom, Shonta, are one of the featured families in the RMHC Nashville Calls for Kids Telecast after staying at the House for 45 days.
RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF NASHVILLE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS DURING APRIL 16 CALLS FOR KIDS TELECAST
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville will celebrate the House’s 25th birthday while highlighting family stories, the organization’s mission and the community groups that support the nonprofit during the 26th annual Calls for Kids Telecast fundraiser on Saturday, April 16.
The Telecast, benefiting RMHC of Nashville, will broadcast live from 7 to 10 p.m. on WKRN, News 2, and will be streamed live on the WKRN website. Hosts Neil Orne, Dawn Davenport, Justin Bruce, Samantha Fisher and Eric Egan will introduce viewers to local families who have stayed at the House and highlight RMHC of Nashville programs while trying to raise $125,000.
Proceeds from the Telecast support the Ronald McDonald House and the Ronald McDonald Family Room, located on the fifth floor of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The funds make it possible for RMHC of Nashville to serve all families, regardless of their ability to pay.
“Our Calls for Kids Telecast allows us to open the doors to our House and show the community how we’re supporting families during their time of need,” said Elizabeth Piercy, Ronald McDonald House Charities executive director. “This year’s broadcast will celebrate the 25th birthday of our House, while also thanking the many individuals, companies and organizations throughout Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky that support us throughout the year.”
During the Telecast, local celebrities, community leaders and volunteers answer calls from donors. Contributions can be made during the event by calling (615) 322-7900 or (866) 766-9933, or online at www.rmhcnashville.com.
The evening features the stories of six families who have stayed at the House while their children received treatment at Nashville-area hospitals. Families include:
Rachel Davis, from Westpoint, Tenn., is 11 years old and is recovering from brain surgery and chemotherapy. Doctors discovered Rachel had brain tumors after she had an unexpected severe headache and performed brain surgery just days later. Rachel and her mother, Shonta, stayed at the House for 45 nights while Rachel underwent chemotherapy.
Andie Cate England was born with Pierre Robin Sequence, a set of abnormalities affecting the head and face. Andie was admitted to the NICU after facing multiple surgeries. Andie and her parents, Jeremy and Jamie England, stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for three months during her recovery. The family is from Scottsville, Ky.
Martavion Tinnel has sickle cell anemia and underwent a bone marrow transplant in September 2015, staying at the House more than 230 nights post-surgery. His mom, Shehina, was his donor. The eight year old and his family reside in Sledge, Miss.
Amelia Callaway of Bartlesville, Okla., was born with spina bifida in December 2015 and underwent surgery the next day to put the base of her spine back inside her body. Her mom, Jennifer, stayed at the House nearly three months during Amelia’s recovery while her dad, Richard, and four older siblings returned to Oklahoma for work and school.
Ever Gomez was born two weeks early in Nashville due to a diaphragmatic hernia and underwent immediate surgery to put his organs into place. His mom, Maria Andrade, stayed at the House for 50 nights while his dad and sister were home in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Addison (Addie) Staton’s life will be honored by her parents, April and Corey, of Church Hill, Tenn. The Statons stayed at the House more than three months after Addie’s heart transplant. She was born in December 2014 and passed away unexpectedly in June 2015 shortly after returning home.
The 2016 Calls for Kids Telecast sponsors are: GM Spring Hill Manufacturing, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Dell, Smith Seckman Reid, Alpha Delta Pi Nashville Alumnae, Jeffco Flooring & Supply, Hunt Brothers Pizza, and Modern Babies & Children Magazine.
Telecast community supporters include: RJ Young, Perenity, Dillard’s, Jesse Davis of McEwen, Tenn., Heritage Medical Group, Tusculum Cumberland Presbyterian Church Youth, Alpha Delta Pi Nashville Alumnae, Green Hills Civitan Club, GM Spring Hill Manufacturing, the Jordan Hackett Foundation, Leslie Ann Wilson of Nashville, Martin Brower, Modern Babies & Children Magazine, the Easton Goad Foundation and the Sophia Nightingale Foundation.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville:
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville is to “keep families close” by providing essential resources and a “home away from home” for families of critically ill children receiving inpatient or outpatient medical care at Nashville-area hospitals. The Ronald McDonald House has served more than 14,000 families from throughout the country and around the world since it opened in 1991, and the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has provided services to 375,000 individuals since it opened in 2004. For more information about Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, please visit www.rmhcnashville.com.
