Bucket List Auction raises over $15,000 for local RMHC programs

September 13th, 2017 — Ronald McDonald House Charities of Burlington hosted its first annual Bucket List Auction at Higher Ground on September 9th and raised over $15k for local programs.

The evening began with a current Ronald McDonald House guest, Diane Boots, sharing her story of how RMHC has helped her family. Diane has been staying at the Burlington house for over a month, since her 8-year old granddaughter, Camryn, suddenly contracted a rare infection in her hip. Doctors told the family if they had arrived at UVM Medical Center ten minutes later, Camryn would have died. Diane and her family live in Akwesasne, NY and are part of the 65% of RMHC guests who are from New York. Boots shared that without the ability to take up residence at Ronald McDonald House the family would not have been able to stay close to Camryn and her medical professionals, they would be forced to drive back-and-forth 3+ hours each day.

From an eclectic list of over twenty items; attendees outbid one another for once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The highest earning auction items included a private chef for a night from 2016 Vermont Chef of the Year, Christian Kruse, a vacation to a luxury villa in Costa Rica from GHYD Adventure paired with airfare from JetBlue, co-hosting WVMT’s morning show Charlie, Ernie and Lisa and 3-hour concert from Shake The Band!

Guest appearances from world-renowned snowboarder, Kevin Pearce, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, and the always-entertaining ladies from House of Lemay made for a lively and memorable evening. “We are so humbled and grateful for our community’s propensity to give” says Sadie Stone, RMHC Development Manager, “…as a first annual event we didn’t know what to expect and hoped we would come in around $5,000; tripling that goal was absolutely amazing” Stone continues.

This event was sponsored by WVMT, Zero Gravity Brewing, Hannaford Supermarkets and Free Press Media.

About RMHC: The Ronald McDonald House is the cornerstone program of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). The RMHC of Burlington is a “home away from home” for families at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. It is our aim to be a refuge for these families during the stress and pain of their loved one’s illness. We strive to create a warm atmosphere with staff and volunteers ready to listen, relieve concerns, and show support. Our other programs include The Ronald McDonald Family Room at the University of Vermont’s Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, providing access to dental care to undeserved communities of Vermont.

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For More Information:
Sadie Stone
Program and Development Manager
sadie@rmhcvt.org
(802) 862-4943