CEO, Eleanor Reigel of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh & Morgantown

The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Pittsburgh and Morgantown, Inc. provides a way for families to stay close to their children receiving medical care, and is committed to helping the families lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. https://rmhcpgh-mgtn.org/

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
And welcome in. This is theCEOs You Should Know podcast. I'm your
host, Johnny Hartwell, let's sayhello to Eleanor Regal. Thank you for
joining me. Thank you Johnny forhaving me. So tell us everything we
need to know about Ronald McDonald HouseCharities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown. Ronald McDonald
House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown providea place for families to stay while they

(00:24):
are receiving medical care for their childrenin the areas. So I know the
Ronald McDonald House is known internationally,but let's talk about locally. So this
is a chapter here in the WesternPennsylvania West Virginia area. It is,
it is. We have two housesand between the two houses, we are
providing Night's Day for ninety families eachnight, every single night, every single

(00:49):
night. So who funds all this? How do you get money to provide
this? Well, we have wonderfuldonors in the community, individuals, corporations,
community groups. We also have twofundraisers annually, our Big mac Open
golf event which happened last week,and then we have the Red Shoe Ball
which is in November ninth of thisyear. So really excited. So you

(01:10):
have to raise these money through thesefundraiseres. Do you also have corporate sponsors
as well? We do. Wedo have corporate sponsors. We have a
lot of community support, which meansa lot to our mission that we provide
the families a place to stay andwe try to think about all the little
things that they need during their stay. Having a sick child can be very

(01:32):
stressful, and so when you thinkabout your own home, think about Ronald
McDonald house, and our needs arebasically the same. We need paper products,
we need cleaning supplies, We providehot meals for the families. So
it's just all about the little thingsto make a difference for the families while
they're supporting their child's process of healing. All right, So how long have

(01:53):
you been CEO. Oh, I'vebeen there for thirteen years and it's been
wonderful. So you're brand new,brand new, brand new, and so
what do you do on a dailybasis? Well, my role was to
oversee operations and really the strategic vision. So looking ahead. If you don't
look ahead, you're not going tobe here. So financially, making sure

(02:15):
that we're sound. I work closelywith our border directors who are wonderful from
a governance perspective, and then developmentfundraising, so all of those tiers I'm
involved with. All right, Soyou said a vision, So what is
your vision? What do you whatdo you want to accomplish? Well,
we always want to improve upon ourselves, our programs that we provide the families.

(02:38):
Currently, we are in a campaign. We are expanding our Morgantown location,
so we're under construction and thinking aboutthe fact that West Virginia and Morgantown
just built a self standing children's hospital, so they are increasing their specialties that
they're providing within the state and sotherefore our volume is going to increase.

(03:01):
So in anticipation of that, theBoard of Directors and I had a strategic
session a few years ago and weembarked on this path and we are expanding.
So when that construction project is done, we will be serving one hundred
and one families. Wow. Yes, and this is a big week for
you guys. It is a verybig week. We are so excited because

(03:24):
we are going to be celebrating fortyfive years as Aronald McDonald's house. Just
imagine the thousands of people that you'vehelped over the over that forty five year
period. Yes, it is tremendous. And when I think back of the
history, the first house in Pittsburghwas only ten bedrooms. But the border

(03:45):
directors saw a vision. They hada vision, and they saw what could
be possible to really support the children. And so beyond the houses, which
are obviously very important, we havea caremobile program and we partner with Children's
Hospital of Pittsburgh VUWPMC and provide wellvisits, dental care visions, screening,

(04:10):
hearing, and also food and securitysurveys and those are all support services to
local children of the Pittsburgh area.All right, tell me the history the
Ronald McDonald House. How did itstart? When did it start? So,
the Pittsburgh House started in on actuallyJuly tenth of nineteen seventy nine with

(04:31):
a group of founders, both corporationsand individuals. They took it upon themselves
and did some amazing fundraising. Theypartnered with a physician at Children's Hospital at
the time. He was a hematologyoncologist and a local McDonald's owner operator and

(04:51):
also the owner of the Steelers.Who may know who that is? No,
I'm not familiar. Can you mentiona name that might for me for
Villa, I don't know, misterRooney. But now at MJ. Dela
Gotti, Dick Culver, I mean, those are just to name a few.

(05:11):
They were instrumental in starting the house. It was on Shady Side Avenue.
And so you said there was tenbeds, and so how did how
did the organization evolve? Well quicklybecause of the medical care that is provided
in the city of Pittsburgh. Weare really so appreciative of the medical care
that's provided here for the children.The Border Directors quickly decided to expand,

(05:35):
so shortly thereafter they purchased another houseand they were soon at twenty four rooms.
And then when Children's Hospital Pittsburgh decidedto move to Lawrenceville and expand again,
the Border Directors decided to expand again. And that's how we arrived initially

(05:56):
at sixty apartments on the campus ofChildren's And then after I arrived, I
was told we need more space.Well you also, that was you know
prior to this was Josh Pittsburgh.Yes, When did Morgantown get involved?
Yes, so their board of directorswas interested in merging with us, which
makes sense from a business perspective.You know, you can decrease costs by

(06:21):
solidifying certain tasks, and so becauseof that, in twenty fifteen we merged
with the Morgantown House and that's howthat actually had sixteen bedrooms at the time,
so and again we're expanding now.The downside of that, I will
be honest, is that means there'sa lot of sick children. But the

(06:42):
upside is that we are there whenthe families need us, and we really
feel it is so important to keepthe families together. Their support of one
another is critical when you're having asick child and you're going through the journey,
taking the journey and you're really notsure what the next day brings to
you and your family, the siblings, mom and dad, sometimes the grandparents.

(07:08):
It's a lot and if we canmake just a little difference, then
we've done our jobs. So giveme a little more detail. So,
first of all, how do familiesand kids get enrolled in some of these
programs. So we work closely withthe hospitals, the social worker and if

(07:28):
a family, which happens a lot. Actually today, families do not always
just accept what their local physician maysay. So we see families from all
over the world, all over thecountry. Just last year we saw families
from six different countries in about fiftycounties or so in Pennsylvania and in Morgantown,

(07:50):
and then probably, oh, Idon't know, maybe twenty states across
the United States. So they seekmedical care. As I mentioned earlier,
we're very fortunate both cities. Sofor West Virginia, Morgantown is really the
mecca for medical care within the state. So you will see folks from the
southern part of the state come toMorgantown. The same with Pittsburgh. Children's

(08:13):
is known. Children's of Pittsburgh isknown for their medical care. What's wonderful
about merging the two is we havefamilies that may stay at the Morgantown House
and depending on the diagnose of thechild, they may be transferred to Pittsburgh.
Well, because they're staying with theRonald McDonald House in Morgantown, it
is a completely seamless transition for thefamilies. And it can be daunting when

(08:35):
you think about families in West Virginia. It's a rural state and so coming
to Pittsburgh is a big deal.It's a big city to them. And
it can be very scary. Pluson top of that, they have a
sick child. So anything that RonaldMcDonald House can do to make that extra
special, we do. And someof those things are making a meal every

(08:58):
day. We have a hot mealwith other it's breakfast, lunch, or
dinner, and we have wonderful volunteersthat come in and do that. We
also have staff on site that willmake meals as well. We also have
an play area for the children.We have a teen lounge for the older
children and young adults. We havemovie nights, so you bring the whole

(09:18):
family in we do we do yes. If they need us, we are
there for them. And the otherimportant factor is when you check in,
you only leave when you are ableto go home. So no matter what
your length of today is, itcould be a week, it could be
up to a year. You arehere to stay with us and we will

(09:39):
support you. Do you get abill, No, you do not.
You do not. We ask fora donation of twenty dollars a night,
but if you cannot participate in thatdonation, you're able to stay. And
that is why we have the fundraisingand development aspects to make sure that we're
taking care of families no matter what. Well, one thing I'm very proud

(10:00):
of Pittsburgh is that we take ourchildcare very seriously. You know, UPMC
Children's Hospital is world for now.I'm so proud of that. But can
you imagine having a sick child?I know I have three boys, and
two of them had brief stays atChildren's Hospital and the care they received was
amazing, and it was only twoor three days. But can you imagine

(10:24):
having a sick child that is goingto be in the hospital for longer than
two or three days, weeks,maybe a month, and to have the
stress of trying to keep together thefamily and doing what you need to do
on a daily basis and make surethat that child is getting the care that
it needs. And can you imaginea you know, an infant that being

(10:50):
so scared and being in an environmentthat they're not familiar in with and not
having that parent there to comfort thatchild. You're giving that child the comfort
of a family environment plus the carethat they're getting from those hospitals exactly.
And that's why we feel it isso important to keep the families close,

(11:15):
giving them a place to rest andface that next day whatever that may bring.
So you said that the hospital kindof recommends that, you know,
so the hospital. It starts withthe hospital saying, hey, this Ronald
McDonald house is available, and thenthey contact you. Is that how they
do it? Yes, And thenwe work directly with the families to make

(11:37):
sure that we will be able tomeet their needs, you know, depending
on how many family members and whatnot. But yes, we work closely with
the hospitals. All right, SoEleanor, tell me your story. How
did you become CEO? What didyou do prior? So I have been
extremely fortunate in my career. Priorto Ronald McDonald, I worked at Children's

(12:01):
Hospital of Pittsburgh as a healthcare administratorfor fourteen years. Prior to that,
I worked for a law firm.But we won't mention that. But my
son, well, it's probably it'simportant that you have, you know,
that kind of background that can help. Oh, absolutely, it does,
it does. But I during thetime I was at the law firm,

(12:26):
I had a two year old sonand he was diagnosed with leukemia. And
I understand what you're saying, andit is wonderful to think about what it
means to have a sick child.And how to use that to help support
the families of Ronald McDonald House.But I think it's important to recognize every

(12:48):
child, every family support system,every diagnosi is very very different. And
so I would never say to afamily, oh, I understand what you're
going through, because I don't.I'm not walking in their shoes. I
had my own shoes to walk inand that was a tremendous and daunting task
on times. At times, Ihave a tremendous family support system, so

(13:11):
I was very very fortunate. Also, living in Pittsburgh, I was able
to commute back and forth to thehospital when my son was hospitalized for his
care. His care was a threeyear period. The protocol Children's Hospital of
Pittsburgh truly served us well and savedhis life, truly, and so that's

(13:33):
how I ended up at the hospital. And over those fourteen years I was
able to establish some wonderful relationships withthe physicians, nurses, administration, and
I was given a lot of opportunityto learn and give back, and that's
really what I wanted to do.But when this opportunity for Ronald McDonald House

(13:56):
came about, I just thought whyI could be on the front lines of
the mission each and every day.And I will tell you one of my
favorite parts of the day is togo in the kitchen and have a cup
of coffee and just hang out withthe parents. And nine times out of
ten, all you need to dois listen, and you are supporting them

(14:22):
in a way that you just haveno idea, and it means so much
to them and to me. Andwhat was the outcome of your son.
Oh, he's wonderful. He's goingto be thirty years old at the end
of July and getting married in August. Well, you know, I was
afraid that that, you know,I was hoping that it had a happy
end. Absolutely, But you said, you don't know what it's like to

(14:43):
be in their shoes, But you'vebeen in their shoes for a short period
of time, you know. Ihear time and time again. You know,
the worst, you know, theworst thing, the worst news you
could ever receive is that you havecancer. But maybe if if you are
parent, may be the worst newsthat is your son or daughter has cancer.

(15:05):
Because you almost feel helpless. Yes, it was very scary. Everything
is out of control. You don'tthere's nothing that you can do to help
that child. Directly get rid ofthat cancer. Obviously it was a three
year journey for your son. Yes, yes, couldn't imagine. You know,

(15:26):
it's interesting what you just said aboutlosing control. As I get older
and have more life experiences, Ithink about that and what do we really
control? Right, And so whenI was younger and had a two year
old son, I didn't realize thatat the time, because you do want
to control everything, but you haveto rely on the experts. Unfortunately,

(15:50):
so fortunate that we had the expertsin Pittsburgh, so we didn't have to
travel for care. Like most ofthe families that stay at Ronald McDonald House,
they travel for their care, andthat just adds a whole other level
of stress that I can't imagine.What kind of stories do you get on
a daily basis? Sometimes there theycan be daunting, to be completely honest,

(16:15):
I remember being in the kitchen oneday and a mom came in and
you're you're very You learn to bevery careful about what you ask, Like
you don't walk in and say,hey, how you doing today, you
know, because you just don't knowwhat their day, maybe what's going on
in their world, So you justsmile, say good morning, Do you

(16:36):
need anything? Can I help?And I remember having this conversation with this
one mom, and it really opensup your eyes to the reality that some
individuals are going through. This womanwas just at peace, and it's because

(16:57):
she had a twelve year old wasCF and the daughter resolved the fact that
she just wanted to go to thebeach for whatever time she had left.
And this mom had a hard timewith that, which we can all imagine
how difficult that would be to understandthat your child, who's old enough to

(17:19):
make a decision, yeah, thismight be what she wants. She was
tired of all the treatments, shewas tired of all of the surgeries.
She just wanted to be at peace. And that morning, that mother came
to the same conclusion that I needto respect my child's decision and understand that

(17:41):
it's okay, it's hard. I'mnot saying it's not hard. I'm really
tearing up. I'm sorry, butI'm sure you get those I'm sorry.
I'm sure you get those kind ofstories all the time. And if you're
a parent, you know you knowthat that new lad we're both crying.

(18:07):
Well, as a parent, youknow that's you know, your life is
nothing, especially if you have kids, because they're everything that's right, that's
right, and to see them gothrough some of the treatments that they go
through, and you know, Ithink about my son, and as horrible
as it was, he had it, he had his disease at the best

(18:29):
time of his life because he reallydidn't truly understand everything that was going on.
We made through, made it through, and he started kindergarten just fine.
Obviously he has some memories. Imean, how can you not.
But he was a trooper. Hewas an absolute trooper. I just remember
coming home from the hospital and wewent to the grocery store and he was

(18:56):
in the grocery cart and he's like, we need to get out of here.
I said, Zachary, we're justat the grocery store. It's okay,
No, no, we need togo home now. And I looked
around to see what was going on, and here we were at the meat
counter and there were gentlemen with whitecoats on. And he equated that to

(19:18):
doctors. No disrespect to the doctors, but you know, when you're going
through spinal taps and alchi's for whateverthe reason, and receiving chemo, and
you know when you do, you'renot going to feel good exactly. He
doesn't have the words of the experienceof what's going right. Yeah, but
the white coats in the meat departmenttotally just you know, upset him.

(19:40):
And those are little things that Ithink back now and can you imagine?
No, no, I couldn't imagine. But you have, you've you've gone
through that journey now that I knowthat it has a wonderful ending. Do
you remember getting the news that hehad leukemia. I do. We were
so fortunate under the circumstances they caughtit so early. Leukemia is obviously in

(20:06):
your blood, and so if youdon't catch it early, the outcomes are
not good because your blood obviously isthroughout your body. I mean, this
is you know, basic terms.But he went in for his two year
checkup, was not feeling great.But again it too had a hard time
articulating what was wrong. His pediatricianwas amazing, and he did a blood

(20:30):
stick in the office and it cameback abnormal, and he didn't let it
go, thankfully. So then hesent us for a work up the next
day and he still was not happywith the results, and so he sent
us then to Children's Hospital Pittsburgh toa hematology oncologist and we went to see

(20:51):
him. He said, I'm notseeing anything. He says, this could
be a virus that could just youand I don't see it, and it
could be gone in three weeks,So I want you to come back in
three weeks. So we did.In that three week period of time.
He said, if his white countis lower than I'm going to suggest a
bone marrow biopsy. Well, unfortunately, the white cells were not what they

(21:15):
should be, so we did thebiopsy in the office and that's when they
saw the cancer cells that they didnot see the three weeks before. So
when you're seeing families that are comingto the Ron McDonald house, does that
come back you feel kind of whatthey're going through. Yes, it's and

(21:37):
a lot of times we have familiesfrom across the country and world come for
the medical care and sometimes they don'tknow what the outcome is going to be
because they're coming to the city formore testing with the expertise that's here.
So there are times where they arriveand then when they're here with us,

(22:00):
maybe a week or so, thenthey receive the news and I will say,
it's a lot, and you cantell immediately something is going on.
And the team that I work withare amazing. The operations team is amazed.
Well, tell me about your team. Oh yeah, they're just they're
wonderful. We have a Family ServicesDirector, Becky, and she has a

(22:23):
whole team of guest relations and thoseindividuals interact on a day to day basis
with the families, checking them in, making sure that their stays going well,
and then checking them out when they'retime to go home. They are
compassionate and I cannot say that noone should take that word lightly. If

(22:44):
you are working at Ronald McDonald housein Pittsburgh and Morgantown, you are a
compassionate person. This is not anine to five job. This is much
more. When we are interviewing forindividuals to be part of our team,
it has to come from the heart. And I will tell you to be
honest. If it's not coming fromthe heart, then you move on And
that's okay, that's okay. Youneed somebody almost with a calling. Yes,

(23:08):
absolutely absolutely. I remember when Ifirst started the first two weeks there,
I would go home and I'd sayto my husband, oh my gosh,
this place is amazing because every singleday something happens, and it's wonderful
when you never hear about it onthe news and he's looking at me,
he's like really every single day,I'm like, oh, yeah, it

(23:30):
could be like you know, somevolunteer comes in and spends a lot of
time with the families and makes aconnection and just makes their day really really
special. It could be an Amazonpackage rise with new pots and pans for
the kitchen. That absolutely is Oh. You mentioned volunteers. Do you have

(23:51):
a volunteered you know, a teamof volunteers. We do. We do,
and I mentioned earlier we have ourmeal program, so every day we're
providing a hot meal to the families. So we have a lot of individuals
come in and actually a lot offamilies that stayed with us want to give
back sure, so they come backand make a meal for the whole house,
which can't be daunting when you thinkabout seventy four apartments at this point

(24:12):
and sixteen bedrooms in Morgantown. Butit's doable, and we have a wonderful
group as I mentioned earlier, tohelp with the volunteers making those meals for
every holiday, you can imagine wedo unique things. For Mother's Day,
we had buckets of flowers and thedads or family members can come up and

(24:33):
make a bouquet for Mom. That'sawesome. For Father's Day, we had
chocolate covered strawberries from the milkshake factory. Oh my goodness, they were delicious.
Yes, I did sample one.You have to have what is it,
right, that's my job. Somebodyhas to do it, that's right.
So we really think about you know, because we're twenty four to seven

(24:56):
every day of the year, sowe have families and we want to make
sure that they're taken care of onthose times where you may want to be
home Thanksgiving, the Hall, theother holidays. So we always think about
what we can do to make itspecial for them. Well, we only
have a couple of minutes left.What is the one or two things that
you want people to know about theRonald McDonald House of Pittsburgh and Morgantown.

(25:19):
I would say the most important thingwe do is providing that support when families
really need it the most. Andevery day you walk through life and we
are all blessed in many many ways, but you just don't know when you
may need the Ronald McDonald House,and we are here for all of those

(25:42):
families. This has been fun,This has been very special. This has
been a very very enjoyable conversation.Thank you so much. Oh, thank
you, and I appreciate being ableto tell our story. Eleanor Regal,
CEO of Ronald McDonald House, Charitiesof Pittsburgh and Morgantown, and a CEO
you should know, Eleanor. Itwas a pleasure. Thank you. This

(26:03):
has been the CEOs used to knowpodcast showcasing businesses that are driving our regional
economy, part of iHeartMedia's commitment tothe communities we serve. On Johnny Heartwell,
thank you so much for listening.