Nonprofit serves families with sick keiki

Twenty-three years ago, when Jerri Chong took over as president of nonprofit Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii, Inc., the board wanted to see growth that would take the organization to the next level. Since her appointment, she has increased donor funding and community partnerships, built capacity and has not denied any family a stay to date. More recently, she led a major renovation through the Covid-19 pandemic of the family recreation center and opened a second house on Oahu in 2006.

The Judd Hillside house was established in 1987 to provide lodging, transportation, food, and laundry services free-of-charge to families residing outside of Oahu with sick babies and children receiving care from the nearby hospitals. At the time, Chong was working for public relations firm Communications Pacific and managing the RMHC pro-bono account. It was her first exposure to the organization’s history, mission and impact. She said if she would have known about it then, her family would have been eligible to stay in the Ronald McDonald House during her pregnancy that required extra medical care on Oahu.

“Families should only have to worry about their child. We provide services and are careful about taking care of the whole family, not to mention covering costs to reduce barriers from medical bills that can be tens-to-thousands of dollars,” said Chong, who was born and raised in Hilo.

According to Pacific Business News’ 2022 Nonprofit Service Providers List, RMHC has 19 employees, and its 2020 revenue was $2.11 million, most of which is donation based.

In 2019, the organization served 769 people over 4,394 room nights, which cost $150 per day, according to its yearly impact report. The website notes that nearly 13,000 families have spent more than 130,000 room nights at Ronald McDonald Houses in Hawaii. While there is no fee to stay at the house, individuals, businesses, foundations and community organizations help pay for accommodations and services.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is a global organization that was founded in 1973 in Pennsylvania by Fred Hill of the Philadelphia Eagles football team, whose daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. By working with local McDonald’s restaurants, his family raised funds to open the first house in Philadelphia. Chong said the McDonald’s Corp. continues to be a major supporting sponsor to new and existing houses and their expenses.

What did you learn navigating the Covid-19 pandemic?

So much of the senior leadership throughout the business community, both for-profit and nonprofit community, we’re aging! Transition to the next group of tomorrow’s leaders, it’s natural. I think we all need to be very open, accepting and willing to embrace change and willing to accept, learn and understand and get comfortable with digital media – a different kind of workplace – which we saw happen very, very suddenly with the pandemic.

It is critical for people to acknowledge and work with it to move forward.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

The Ronald McDonald House is not a sad place, even though a lot of people think that. When the kids come back here, there’s a lot of laughing and playing. It is family-life, so it is not sad, quite the opposite. When there are things to celebrate, like good test results, parents and families celebrate together and there’s a great camaraderie – they share each other’s joy and tough times.

Moments such as holding a toddler’s hands as they take their very first step in our living room or seeing their face when tasting ice cream for the first time, come to mind. We are very lucky we get to experience that first-hand and that the family shares that with us.

What role does your board play in growing the organization?

We are not a huge organization, so we consider our 14-member board to be our volunteers. They represent various sectors across the local business community. They are an excellent, hands-on board, advocates in the community and passionate about the work they do, which is so important for the success of an organization.

What is the best business advice you’ve ever received and from whom?

Forty years ago, the late Bobbye Hughes McDermott, founder of PR firm Communications Pacific, took me under her wing and trained me. She told me, “Being successful is not defined by all the good things you’ve done. Being successful is measured by how you make others feel about themselves and all the great things they’re capable of. It’s not about you, it’s about them!” She was basing her success on how she was helping me at the time.

Do you have a succession plan in place?

We work on this with our board … so the plan is constantly being updated. Retiring is like a moving target for me. I believe I’m in the right place at the right time at the right period of life – it has never wavered, so I will know when it’s time. … The best is yet to come!

— Pacific Business News