April 22, 2025 • 35 mins
Kristine Bickford joins us to talk about some of the amazing things happening at the Ronald McDonald House.
"The Ronald McDonald House of Burlington is a historic home located in downtown Burlington. The house is the cornerstone of RMHC Burlington’s trio of programs, and is equipped with twelve rooms. Our guests arrive with so much unknown, and we strive to provide them with a warm bed, meals, access to amenities and the comfort of being just a mile from their child staying at the UVM Children’s Hospital. RMHC Burlington also supports the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, providing free dental care to underserved Vermont children and expecting mothers as well as the Ronald McDonald House Family Room on the pediatric floor of the hospital."
Myers Container Service Corp. is the area's most reliable in garbage removal and recycling services. We are a locally owned company with 12 years of industry experience.
Every week here on the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast, hosts Erin Cofiell-Barker and Joe Sinagra highlight local heroes and organizations that are doing great work in our community.
"The Ronald McDonald House of Burlington is a historic home located in downtown Burlington. The house is the cornerstone of RMHC Burlington’s trio of programs, and is equipped with twelve rooms. Our guests arrive with so much unknown, and we strive to provide them with a warm bed, meals, access to amenities and the comfort of being just a mile from their child staying at the UVM Children’s Hospital. RMHC Burlington also supports the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, providing free dental care to underserved Vermont children and expecting mothers as well as the Ronald McDonald House Family Room on the pediatric floor of the hospital."
Myers Container Service Corp. is the area's most reliable in garbage removal and recycling services. We are a locally owned company with 12 years of industry experience.
Every week here on the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast, hosts Erin Cofiell-Barker and Joe Sinagra highlight local heroes and organizations that are doing great work in our community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Hey, everyone, welcome to the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast.
I'm your co host Aaron Kofield Barker. You see my
fellow co host, Joe Snagra of Myers Containers. We're really
excited to continue our conversations about Myers Container Services, a
family owned and operated business here in Vermont that really
just cares about its community. Joe, what's been going on
(00:35):
since I saw you last week?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, a lot of things here at Myers. Of course,
we thought the weather was changing and a lot of
our drivers were excited, and then we went right back
into the snow. So we're dealing with that. But with
a little sunnier weather now, hopefully we're going to take
the turn. I think we all want that. But I
did have a question for you, Kenny. You have a
(00:58):
little more experience than I on this subject. I recently
moved for the first time in twenty one years. So
I remember when I was a younger person, before I
was happily married. You know, you would break up with
a girlfriend, or you're interested in somebody, you'd drive by
your house, you know, to see what's going on. So
I found myself this week in my old town and
(01:19):
I couldn't help but drive by my old house. Yeah,
And I know you've moved a few times. So my
question is, hey, how long does this happen? How long
will I expect to drive past it? And the other
thing is, I really don't know what I was looking
to get out of it. I mean, if I drove
by and the house was all of a sudden in purple,
(01:40):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Like, you were just feeling nossalgic and so you went,
or you happened to be in town.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I happened to be in town, so I made a
little detour and I drove by. But it's like driving
by the ex girlfriend's house. What do I expect to see?
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, well, how you lived there for?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Like?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
That was like the house right, like you're the kids there? Yeah? Yeah, yeah,
I don't think that's gonna go away, because I'm gonna
be honest with you. I don't drive by my condo
before this one very much. We did when we first
moved and it went away. But my parents recently sold
their house in Connecticut, and that's where I grew up,
Like they forty the first thirty nine years of my life.
(02:18):
They owned it and it's all the way in Connecticut,
and whenever we go back to town, it's like we
got to drive by to see what's going on and
then maybe be a little judgy about things they've done,
so like normal, right, maybe be a little envious about
things they've done, or in my instance, it was like, oh,
my parents never would have done solar panels on the roof,
and and maybe you come up with some stuff like
(02:38):
I don't think it's gonna go away now.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Did you knock on the door your parents own house?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
No? I did not, Did you I did that?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Well?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Had you met them at the closing or no?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
No? So my after my parents passed away, the four
kids inherited the house and my brother handled everything. So
the closing it was just done all remote, so I
never I never met them. So I happen to be
in my hometown and same thing they I drove by
and I'm like, why would you put a fence up?
(03:11):
That's stupid. So I'm like, I got a knock on
the door and say hello, which I can assume some
big Italian guy knocking on your door in the middle
of the day, I'm sure, but no alarms.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeaheah, yeah, there whole there, I think Miranda Lambert writes
a song about this called The House That Built Me,
where she like goes back to the home and goes in.
But so, what about the home you just got rid of?
Do you know the people who live there now? Like?
Would they be cool? If you're like, hey, it's joke,
Can I just like have a beeraut back this summer?
I kind of miss it?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
No, what's interesting is my home was your typical Vermont
family house, neighborhood, three bedroom, three bath, very neighborhood, family driven,
so we really thought the new owners would be similar.
Turns out it's a single woman who just got a
job at the hospital and she's she's living there, which fantastic,
(04:01):
I mean cleared. So I don't really care. So you know,
it's great, But I think she wouldn't mine.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
She yeah, she probably wouldn't mine. I don't know's it's
probably not gonna go away for a long time.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Hopefully she doesn't find a note that I left behind
the stove.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Till later, and that could be fun. That could be fun.
Well watch what I'm about to do. Speaking of homes,
today's guest is from a very well known name people
will recognize. She is the executive director of the Ronald
McDonald House in Burlington. We have Chris Pickford with us,
and before we go to Chris a couple of things.
(04:36):
So a part of this podcast is to tell everyone
about Myers containers what they have going on, but they
also do a lot of great stuff in the community,
and so our plan is to bring in different guests
to talk about some of the things. Right, So like
we can toot the Myers Horn, but these people can
help us too the Myers Horn a little bit as well,
(04:57):
and so we do. We have Chris Pickford today, but
we actually have a pretty cool little video about the
Ronald McDonald House that we're going to play and then
we can bring her in after it. But it'll just
give everyone a nice summed up intro and explainer of
what the Ronald McDonald House is all about.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Since nineteen eighty four, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Burlington
has provided a home away from home for families of
hospitalized children. Located just five minutes from the University of
Vermont Medical Center, Ronald McDonald House is a peaceful retreat
with many comforts of home, serving families and caregivers who
reside outside of Chittenden County. The moment you walk through
(05:36):
the door, you'll find a welcoming home staffed around the
clock to host you. You'll find quiet spaces inviting you
to take a moment for yourself. You'll find privacy in
one of our eight bedrooms, and a home cooked dinner
waiting for you each evening, prepared in our fully equipped kitchen.
Ronald McDonald House has laundry facilities, Wi Fi and secure
off street parking. Children staying at Ronald McDonald House take
(05:59):
full advantage of our under the C Playroom, an outdoor playground.
The founder of the first Ronald McDonald House, pediatric oncologist,
doctor Audrey Evans, believed that a family with a sick
child is a sick family. Our mission is to provide
families and caregivers a place to recharge and support one
another outside of the hospital setting, while keeping them close
(06:22):
to their child during treatment. With a referral from a
hospital social worker or doctor's office, eligible families or caregivers
can stay at Ronald McDonald House for the duration of
their child's treatment free of charge. We support you so
your focus can be on your child when they need
you the most. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Burlington. You
(06:42):
bring the hope. We have the rest covered. For more information,
go to r MHCVT dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Such a great video, such a great summary. I know, Chris, Christine,
which do you prefer?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So I'm really Chris. All of you would know me
by Chris, but at the house they call me Christine.
It doesn't matter Chris, Christy, Christine.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Ay of any of the of them. Thank you so
much for joining us on the podcast and for giving
us that great video. I think we're obviously going to
talk about it, but I think it's a really great
video that just kind of sums up what the Ronald
McDonald House is here for and what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
It does, and I'm going to toot your horn right now.
We'll start it off that way, too tuned because that
video that you just saw, that beautiful aquarium basement that
was funded by Myers red Can Family, So thank you,
and it truly is I mean, the kitchen is always
you know, the heart of the home and the nucleus
(07:49):
of the home, but that is a gathering place down there.
We actually have board meetings down there now, So thank
you to Myers for that.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, Joe tell us a little bit about that went
behind you guys wanting to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, you know so, Jeff, when he started this company,
really felt important to give back to the community as
much as we can. And Jeff's son Ken was very
involved in the house and Jeff's ex wife Denise served
on the board for a number of years, might still
be on the board. And Jeff always donated and gave
(08:27):
trash service and things of that sort. And then a
couple of years ago we were in visiting with Chris
and she we were talking about kind of if you
had a magic wand what would be the first thing.
And she showed us the basement, which was like any
basement that you know a lot of people have. It
was a little dark and didn't really function the way
it wanted and she said, you know, we would love
(08:48):
to raise some funds for this. And we got back
in the car, Jeff and I and we're driving back
to the office and Jeff said, I'll call Chris up
and tell her, you know, whatever she needs, we'll do it.
And I'm like, really, chests fight couldn't probably be a
pretty big number, and he goes, no, we have to
do it. We have to do it, and it exceeded
(09:08):
anything that I think we ever expected. And they had
a wonderful ribbon cutting, and it really is just a showcase.
And we stopped and visit with Chris and just to
see the joy on these kids and the parents that
are I mean, I know, Aaron, you have children like
I do, and I can't imagine what these families are
(09:30):
going through, you know, knock on wood. I never had
to go through anything remotely what these kids and parents
have to go through. So, you know, make it a
little more comfortable, to make it a little bit easier
while they're they're here. It's just so important.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Well, and I think Chris, as you said, you know,
the kitchen they always say is the heart of the home,
But the basement, to me, like that's all the fun
and that's where all the memories happen, like and that
might just be I grew up in a home where
the basement was. You know, our friends came over, Well
where's everybody. They're down to the basement. They're down to
the basement. And so I feel like having that in
the Ronald McDonald house and that that's like right, that's
(10:06):
like the play like, that's kind of like the fun
the Fun Zone, and upstairs is you know, all business
and there's a lot of love. But to know that's
really the place to go and unwind and hang out
is probably pretty great.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
It really is a wonderful gathering space. It's also a
place when there are a big group of children, we
could say, oh, go downstairs because you don't hear anything.
But it's also you have to go through the basement
to get to the laundry room, and it was dark
and just a regular basement. As Joe said earlier, you know,
it had gray walls and it was just nothing redeeming.
(10:38):
I had put a pool table down there, but that
wasn't working. And I had this vision for years and
years that I wanted to have this aquarium. The ceiling
was low. I thought this would be a great space
for that. And when Jeff said I would love to
fund a project, I said, I've got a project for you. So,
you know, it really really just worked beautifully. And I
(10:58):
remember at an open house we had Jeff sitting downstairs.
The basement had been completed, and nobody knew, you know,
they weren't paying attention to him, but he was just
sitting there and people were dooing and ayeing about the basement,
and I think that sort of was a testament to
what we had done and to Jeff had to make
him feel good to hear how much everybody was really
(11:19):
appreciating the basement. And we do have other rooms, but
that one is there's a TV down there, and like
I said, I think I said, we have board meetings
down there now and it's just a happy place. And
we have a scavenger hunt on the wall, so we
have a list and the kids can find, you know,
the different items on the walls. So it's a good place.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Perfect And so the basement, right, we've talked about, but
just the house as a whole. How are things going?
Do I know? Are you? Are you full? Are you
like what's been going on lately?
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Yeah, so we are. I was just talking to a
staff member this morning saying in ebbs and flows like anything,
we have a waiting list. We have been very full
since the end of last year. Very long term stays.
So our average length is stay is ten days, but
we've had months when once a family is in, they
can stay for as long as they need. There's no
(12:14):
end date on that that time. So there's a lot
of premies. We call them micro premis where they're you know,
you could just like they're one they're one pound, like
you can barely they fit in your hand. So those
parents stay for a very long time. And so we
have eight rooms. We're full, We have a waiting list
with people you know, eager to come. And last year
(12:37):
we served over ninety seven families and we that provided
fourteen hundred nights overnight stays for families and we we
really have figured out it was not a statistic or
data that we had provided in the past, but you know,
(12:58):
we have a home for these people to come to.
You know, they have a bed, they have warm meals,
they have us to support them, the staff if they
want to talk. But we've also saved over last year
over three hundred thousand dollars probably closer to four hundred
thousand dollars in expenses, and that means families don't have
to travel back and forth, gas expenses, lodging, all of that.
(13:24):
So we really, we really are saving families, you know,
so much, not only money, but just anxiety and when
they when they really need it most, because as you can,
the child sometimes it's an emergency where the child, you know,
mom's going into labor and the baby is born super early.
Or it could be an appendicitis, it could be broken legs,
ski accidents, cancer, and so they're already dealing with so much,
(13:49):
and you know, we all know there's so much going
on in our lives and in the world, and so
our number one priority is to give them a respite
while they're here, to make sure they're comfortable, to make sure,
you know, they don't want for anything. And we have
a new probe. We found out that the hospital, we
provide three meals a day, but they were taking the
(14:11):
dinner meals and bringing them to the hospital. So we
were a little short on dinner meals because we have
guest chefs come in. So we now I got a
grant and we are providing lunches for families, and we're
working with Great Harvest, if you know Great Harvest down
on Pines. They're wonderful. So they're giving sandwiches at cost
(14:33):
and every Monday and Thursday, I pick up sandwiches and
we put them in the refrigerator and they have little bags.
They could bring those sandwiches to the hospital as well,
and chips and drinks, and so they don't have to
buy the food up there because at the hospital only
nursing moms can get a boucher to eat. So, you know,
we were really excited about that. And so last year
(14:56):
we had over twelve thousand meals that we were providing
to families. And so we have guest chefs come in
every day. They don't come in every day, and they
call and they get put on our calendar and they
bring ingredients and they can make whatever they want and
if the guests can eat it, that's up to them.
But there's no restrictions. We don't you know, ask for
(15:17):
any dietary restrictions and and it's really a wonderful thing.
So businesses come in and and families or you know,
moms with kids and you know, really trying to teach
their kids, you know, giving back at a young age.
A lot of times we have families that come back
that have stayed here and then they're coming back just
to visit and to.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I was going to I was going to ask that
that must be so great when you know, you guys
are a huge part of this early moment, especially when
we talk about the little babies and their life and
it's very stressful and and so then once the kid
is now thriving, when that's the case, like to see
them come back. And I'm sure that that's got to
be really rewarding for you guys working there too.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
It was funny had just called me this morning and
she's like so and so, and you know, everybody thinks
that we remember everyone, but there's so many families in
and out. It's like, oh, yes, how's your baby, and well,
we're going to come by on Tuesday. We want to
show you how you know, how big he is. And
I was like, oh, well, she and I said, well,
Tuesday might not be the best day. You know, there's
all kinds of meetings and other things set up, but
(16:21):
they get so excited to come back and show us pictures.
We get Christmas cards, we get to see and then
we've had adult kids that have come back here. Well
they're adults now that we're here when they were children.
Because we've been in existence for forty we're going on
our forty second year this year, so we've been around
for a long time. And we are one of three
(16:42):
hundred and fifty nine Ronald McDonald houses around the world,
and so we're under the umbrella of Ronald McDonald House
Global out of Chicago, but we we all, you know,
operate independently. And this is a misconception. People think that
McDonald's funds us whole, you know, completely, and McDonald's does
(17:06):
not fund us. McDonald's the owner operators help fund us
and they are great contributors and they give us a
lot of money. But the big McDonald's in Chicago, they
don't give us money. So what that means is when
you're going through McDonald's and you put money in the
box the donation boxes that comes back to us, that's
(17:26):
your money as a community member. Or when you go
to the register and they say do you want to
round up for r MHC, which we're really promoting, that
money comes to us as well. So they have Shamrock Shake,
you know, events and happy meals and they have different
events fundraisers for us, which is wonderful and so they
really are a good portion of our budget. Those events
(17:48):
that come in. We don't really do events here. It's
just we don't have the staffing to do that. And
we have one event it's in September at Waterworks called
a waitathon and that's fun. Then we you know, we
have people come in and serve customers and they all
the tips come to the house. So that's about all
(18:11):
we have for events.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Now, Chris, is there any cost for the families when
they come and stay with you for the meals or
the lodging or anything like that?
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Good question. I didn't mention that. No, everything is no
charge to them at all. The only thing we ask
for is a twenty five dollars deposit which they get
back when they leave in case there's any damage. You know,
in the past we have had some instances where there's
been damage and we've had to paint the room or something.
So that's the only thing. But everybody gets their money back,
(18:43):
and yeah, it doesn't cost them a thing. And like
I said, stay as long as they want.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And another thing I think that makes the world go around,
which you've kind of touched on that is the volunteers.
So if someone is interested in volunteering or doing something
to help you guys, what's the best way for them
to make that happen.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah, so they can just call us and that's if
they you know, they can look up Ronald McDonald house
or it's eight oh two eight six two four nine
four three, and they can bake if they don't want
to cook a meal. We have I think it was
twenty two hundred hours of volunteer service last year. We
(19:23):
are volunteer pool declined extensively after COVID, but we we
do have opportunities for volunteers. It's mostly cooking, actually, but
that that is what what we count on, you know,
for our guests and for any kind of help here.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
We haven't talked about Mike.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Oh and Mike. Where is Mike? Mike is I could
go get him. He's probably sitting right outside the door.
Mike is well.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And there's some photos. There's some photos. There's a photo
you know, my man is he's water dog. And I
giggled when I said it, mostly because last week we
had a conversation about pets with human names, and so
it's quite appropriate that we have Mike here, who is
a pet with a human name.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
About my Yeah, So Mike is actually an Australian labradoodle
and he looks like a Portuguese water dog. He's an
Australian labordoodle and he comes from Indiana where they breathe
them and train them to work at Ron McDonald houses.
And he's hypoallergenic and that's why there's the doodle in him.
Mike came to us well eight years ago and he'll
(20:34):
be nine on July twenty seventh. But eight years ago,
we had a volunteer here Mike chronicg you if anybody
knows that name, Father Mike from Saint Michael's College. And
I loved Mike. He was here every Sunday night and
we ended up having a massive heart attack and dying
and I was crushed. And then little the dog comes
like the next week and the dog is black and
(20:57):
he's got white and it kind of looked like a
priest call. And so his name is Michael Ronnie and
it's after father Mike from Saint Michael's College. So we
had a big, you know, puppy shower forum and Brother
Michael Carter at the time, who's now also a father
Mike at mounttern Christie. He he really spoke about, you know,
the relationship of a friend and a pet, and it
(21:20):
was it was just beautiful. So Father Mike is with
us every day. Mike is just a tremendous relief to
our families that stay here. Most of them have pets
that they leave at home, so almost I would say
ninety five percent of our guests have pets that they're
leaving at home, and they're here for months at a
time and they don't see their pets. So every day
(21:40):
he's getting petted, and he has his own business card
and he has his streets, and he is a wonderful
addition to the house. He really he's really very special.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
I hope he gets a birthday party.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
And he does. It's a big birthday party. When he
actually two. When was it when he turned twenty one?
In human years, we had a big party over three
needs for three needs for him and the party hats.
But every year he has a party and we give
out goodie bags to all the guests from from Mike
(22:16):
and yeah, he has a pretty good life. He's very Yeah,
I guess all dogs they really like routine. So you know,
he stands by the door in the morning, I put
his vest on. He wants to go to work. He
seems disappointed when he doesn't come to work. But it's
really interesting. Where my office is, I look out and
every day he's like he lies outside my office and
(22:36):
everybody high Mike, Hi Mike, and they all, you know,
kneel down and they pet him and it's really sweet
to see the kids love him, and so yeah, it's
a good thing. So it really is a home. We
say it's a homeway from home, but it truly is
a homeway from home. And you know, parents are walking around,
our family members in their you know, in their pajamas,
(22:59):
and they have said that We've had lately a lot
of people coming in and they just they're in tears.
They so we had no idea it would be so homey,
so comfortable, and that makes us feel really good. That
means we're doing our job well. And I you know,
I honestly have to say again to Myers, because not
only the basement, but you've been so generous on so
(23:20):
many levels. And it really does help sustain us because
we don't that's where we get our money from. It's
the community members and the donors, and that's how we
stay afloat. So all of that is really important. But
Myers has been exceptionally generous to us, so and I
know to many others as well.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Well, And we talk about all the time, and you know,
many people do contribute financially, but contributes with their time,
you know, can point of our owners is often in
their cooking and Jeff comes in and Denise, as I
talked about, helped to do some of the books for
the house for a number of years. So you know,
(23:59):
it's not just take every dollar she can get, of course,
but it's the other stuff that goes a long way
too with helping, volunteering that you know, the way to
con or cooking in the house or just being around
for helping you.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
That's right. Yeah, And I do want to give a
shout out to Kenny because he comes in and he's
he's a great cook and it's so fun to watch
him in the kitchen and obviously Denise and Jeff, So yeah,
that's what that's what we count on. We count on
those people and for caring.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
So before we let you go, I have a final
question and you may have already done it, because I
think it's probably something people ask, but I just I wondered,
what is something about the Ronald McDonald house that you
find most people maybe you don't know but you wish
they did, or what's like a common misconception which you
mentioned to the McDonald's McDonald's is huge.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
I think the biggest misconception art is when people come in.
We've sent that video up to the hospital and for
them to show families before they come. But I people
walk through the door and we've had people like crying
when they see the house. I think that they don't
know what to expect. They think it might be more
(25:10):
like a hotel or very clinical, and some fron McDonald
houses are that way. The larger homes, I think they're
shocked to see how homey it is. And a lot
of people don't know it that we're only children up
to the age of twenty one. That's another you know
sort of people don't know that fact. And we serve
(25:31):
Vermont and upstate New York. That's our territory. Although we
have kids that come in that have been in skiing accidents.
They go to the one of the colleges in town
and you know, they get hurt. So their parents come
in from Portugal and Utah and so we have that
as well. But yeah, one of my favorite stories is
a mom came in she had preclamsy of very high
(25:51):
blood pressure. She hadn't she wasn't well. They kept her
in the hospital after the child was born, and she
care blood pressure was through the roof and she came
down here. She went upstairs to her room and came
down and her husband was in tears. He said her
blood pressure has dropped thirty points since she walked in
the door. So that that is what it feels like here,
(26:12):
you know, to know that we're really easing that anxiety
for these parents and helping in that way. But I think, oh,
the other thing people might not know is we have
a family room at the hospital and that's on Bared five,
the pediatric floor, and it's called the family Room. And
it's a small like a small apartment that has a kitchen,
and it has a shower and laundry. And so parents
(26:38):
that are staying up at the that live in Chittnam
County that don't need to stay at the house but
might just need to get out of their child's room
for a while. If they're on Bard five, they can
go to that room and get a snack, make coffee,
watch TV. We have that room as well. So those
are just some of the perks of Ronomick Donaldhouse.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Perfect. Yeah, anything else.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
From you, Joe, No, thank you, Chris. Easing into this experiment.
So it's nice that you were willing to hop on
and chat with us a little bit about it, and
we appreciate all everything, you know, the but also you, Chris,
you give so much of your time and a wonderful call.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
So thank you, thank you, thanks for inviting me. I
was really honored that you invited me, and I wish
you just great luck. I love the name. I think
it's just a fabulous name, good branding, and I know
it'll be successful. So good luck, and thank.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
You, thank you, thank you, Chris, thank you, bye. Thanks.
She's great.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
She's she's the best I've known Chris for for a
long time, and she's so dedicated to the organization and community.
We're lucky to have somebody like that. It's it's the
small amount of time I spend it on there. You know,
it's hard. You know, we all complain about our jobs
from time to time, but you know, my job's not
(28:06):
saying when I My biggest problem is people complain their
trash doesn't get picked up, not that their kid's not
going to make it. So it's it's she's she's definitely
a special person.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Yeah, I think I think one of the things that's
great is like the mental load that a mom or
a dad make, Harry, especially when you're just having a child,
or when you have a child who's older but ill, like,
there's a lot. And so for them to just like
take that entire men's load away and be like, hey,
like we got you is like amazing. Plus the no
(28:39):
no financial burden either, It's so great.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
You know.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I was convinced my wife was going to die when
our first son was born. Not that there was any problems.
I was just convinced she was going to die. So
in my mind, I'm like, I'm going to be a
single thought, or I'm twenty five years old. What am
I going to do here?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
You know? It's just yeah, happy to share. She's still around.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
She's still around. Yeah, absolutely. I told her she had
a sea section, so all she did was lay there
and they cut her open it.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Oh no, no, I too am a sea section, mama,
And that is not I had to push and then
become a sea section. So that's like I didn't even
get the perfect little sea sections shaped babyhead.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Yes. Yes, well our son was ten to four, so
he was planning sea section. So she often comments that
you know how hard it was, and it was it was.
It was tad, which is one of the reasons why
it was a.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Sea Section fair Fair. Anything else new going on at Myers?
I know you said you had a couple of things
ready to rock that you wanted to chat about. Oh,
I was going to tell you this morning. I went
to take a photo, but unfortunately it is a competitor
that not me. My hi uses. But it's trash day
over here at the Barker household, and I had they
(29:56):
came early today. So the two kids are in the
kitchen and they run right the door and they're standing
there just so intrigued watching the trash shock come on
right through and it's like so adorable, how much they
love it. My son raying to get one of his
trash trucks.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Like Another fun fact is my h o AA is
a competitor too, so I don't my cho isn't even
a Myers h OA. So sorry, Jeff, Yeah, yeah, you
tell them that all the time. But you know he
was happening because usually I would bring extra bags into
here and throw it away. When I did so, he
(30:31):
reminded me, now I can't do that, so keep it
with our competitor.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
I will say though, as I stare out my window
there's a huge construction site going up behind my house,
which also makes the three year old happy. But you
guys are the commercial dumpster holler of choice, or however
you want to say it. So I have been seeing
a lot of myers everywhere, which is great.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
We appreciate.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
You know, there's a big time for us, you know, come,
we know we're in to Passover and then as Easter Sunday,
so Monday is going to be a big day. All
next week will be big because people will have family
over and produce more trash. And you know Monday, those
who have the Monday axit a little bit harder, so
they put their containers out. You know, we pick up
(31:16):
trash every day except for Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day,
So every other day of the year we pick up trash.
So we get calls. I got calls today or are
you going to pick up Easter Monday? And we do.
So the guys will come out of the holiday, be
Passover or or Easter, and you know, don't work long.
You know it will be a longer day on Monday
(31:36):
form so it's it's easy for me to sit here
in the warm office and talking about it. But the
guys are out there and women out there still makes
it a little bit harder for him. But at least
the weather's turning. It will be a little bit warmer
for him on Monday.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Yeah, and I'm sure it's not quite as bad as Christmas,
but the Easter Bunny does leave garbage behind it. It's
such a crazy thing, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny,
like all these boxes just come out of.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Know, we'll have to talk next week.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Aaron.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
You know my kids are beyond that, so don't get
Easter baskets. But I'll be curious to hear about your kids,
at least one of them. I'm sure the young one
doesn't quite get it yet.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
Oh no, but she's she's got to have a basket too.
I can't give the I can't give Jack a basket,
and then Ellie is like, where's mine. I will say
Jack is definitely getting more spoiled. But maybe I'll snap
a couple of picks this week and then we can
share them next week on how Easter went down. Because Ellie,
my younger one, is she's she's gonna be something like
she I have a video, I'll text it to you.
(32:34):
I don't know if it's appropriate for the whole world
to see it. But they're like wrestling, and Ellie, the
younger one, is like holding her own like I'm like,
get a girl, like she's gonna be a tough little
second child, little sister. So it uh, I could not
get her.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
One of the my wife taught me is, you know,
you you had the easter bunny comes and hides eggs
around the house, of course, and you let the kids
know that there's twenty two eggs hidden, and of course
you only hide twenty so you get an extra twenty minutes.
Your husband and you, you know, they have a second
cup of coffee, and they'll they'll tire themselves out for
(33:10):
a good twenty minutes look for those two extra eggs.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
That's a good one. Oh, I think I might have
to take that.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I did.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
I did go with the different like sized and like
look of eggs, because otherwise Jack will just find alive
Ellie's and so at least his can be bigger. But
I like that. Oh no, I think there's one more.
There's one more we did.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
We did blue and Pink, you know, the pink one
was for for Sophie and the blue ones for our Spencer,
and you know that helped the older one.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
You know, that's all right, my jack. We are. We
did a hunt last week at the hardware store. We're
doing the Wilson one this weekend. We got one at
a friend's house, we got one at our house. We
go on at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They're gonna be
able to find anything missing for a long time after
the practice they're getting on.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
They keep all the eggs they can put in their
college fund. With how expensive eggs are, I know, oh.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
I save them all for next year. I'm not purchasing it.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
There you go, all right.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I think that's a good end point for this week's podcast.
We uh yeah, I mean this is awesome. I know
we said earlier we're just into number two, but I'm
really excited about this. I think it's really fun to
get people in a more candid atmosphere to kind of
talk about their charities, their communities, they're what they do.
And then it's great too when there's the added connection
(34:26):
and as Chris said of the Meyers Horn, because you
guys do a ton and you deserve a little too
touting to shine a little light on it.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I agree, it's going to be fun, and I know
we have a couple coming up of other charities and
other things we're doing, so it's exciting. It's a lot
of fun. And you and I always have an opinion
on something, so we'll talk about something. You know, we
always have something to talk about.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
I love it, I love it all right. Well, until
next time. We hope everybody has a great week. This
is the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast. No No,
Hey, everyone, welcome to the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast.
I'm your co host Aaron Kofield Barker. You see my
fellow co host, Joe Snagra of Myers Containers. We're really
excited to continue our conversations about Myers Container Services, a
family owned and operated business here in Vermont that really
just cares about its community. Joe, what's been going on
(00:35):
since I saw you last week?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, a lot of things here at Myers. Of course,
we thought the weather was changing and a lot of
our drivers were excited, and then we went right back
into the snow. So we're dealing with that. But with
a little sunnier weather now, hopefully we're going to take
the turn. I think we all want that. But I
did have a question for you, Kenny. You have a
(00:58):
little more experience than I on this subject. I recently
moved for the first time in twenty one years. So
I remember when I was a younger person, before I
was happily married. You know, you would break up with
a girlfriend, or you're interested in somebody, you'd drive by
your house, you know, to see what's going on. So
I found myself this week in my old town and
(01:19):
I couldn't help but drive by my old house. Yeah,
And I know you've moved a few times. So my
question is, hey, how long does this happen? How long
will I expect to drive past it? And the other
thing is, I really don't know what I was looking
to get out of it. I mean, if I drove
by and the house was all of a sudden in purple,
(01:40):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Like, you were just feeling nossalgic and so you went,
or you happened to be in town.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
I happened to be in town, so I made a
little detour and I drove by. But it's like driving
by the ex girlfriend's house. What do I expect to see?
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, well, how you lived there for?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Like?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
That was like the house right, like you're the kids there? Yeah? Yeah, yeah,
I don't think that's gonna go away, because I'm gonna
be honest with you. I don't drive by my condo
before this one very much. We did when we first
moved and it went away. But my parents recently sold
their house in Connecticut, and that's where I grew up,
Like they forty the first thirty nine years of my life.
(02:18):
They owned it and it's all the way in Connecticut,
and whenever we go back to town, it's like we
got to drive by to see what's going on and
then maybe be a little judgy about things they've done,
so like normal, right, maybe be a little envious about
things they've done, or in my instance, it was like, oh,
my parents never would have done solar panels on the roof,
and and maybe you come up with some stuff like
(02:38):
I don't think it's gonna go away now.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Did you knock on the door your parents own house?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
No? I did not, Did you I did that?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Well?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Had you met them at the closing or no?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
No? So my after my parents passed away, the four
kids inherited the house and my brother handled everything. So
the closing it was just done all remote, so I
never I never met them. So I happen to be
in my hometown and same thing they I drove by
and I'm like, why would you put a fence up?
(03:11):
That's stupid. So I'm like, I got a knock on
the door and say hello, which I can assume some
big Italian guy knocking on your door in the middle
of the day, I'm sure, but no alarms.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Yeaheah, yeah, there whole there, I think Miranda Lambert writes
a song about this called The House That Built Me,
where she like goes back to the home and goes in.
But so, what about the home you just got rid of?
Do you know the people who live there now? Like?
Would they be cool? If you're like, hey, it's joke,
Can I just like have a beeraut back this summer?
I kind of miss it?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
No, what's interesting is my home was your typical Vermont
family house, neighborhood, three bedroom, three bath, very neighborhood, family driven,
so we really thought the new owners would be similar.
Turns out it's a single woman who just got a
job at the hospital and she's she's living there, which fantastic,
(04:01):
I mean cleared. So I don't really care. So you know,
it's great, But I think she wouldn't mine.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
She yeah, she probably wouldn't mine. I don't know's it's
probably not gonna go away for a long time.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Hopefully she doesn't find a note that I left behind
the stove.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Till later, and that could be fun. That could be fun.
Well watch what I'm about to do. Speaking of homes,
today's guest is from a very well known name people
will recognize. She is the executive director of the Ronald
McDonald House in Burlington. We have Chris Pickford with us,
and before we go to Chris a couple of things.
(04:36):
So a part of this podcast is to tell everyone
about Myers containers what they have going on, but they
also do a lot of great stuff in the community,
and so our plan is to bring in different guests
to talk about some of the things. Right, So like
we can toot the Myers Horn, but these people can
help us too the Myers Horn a little bit as well,
(04:57):
and so we do. We have Chris Pickford today, but
we actually have a pretty cool little video about the
Ronald McDonald House that we're going to play and then
we can bring her in after it. But it'll just
give everyone a nice summed up intro and explainer of
what the Ronald McDonald House is all about.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
Since nineteen eighty four, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Burlington
has provided a home away from home for families of
hospitalized children. Located just five minutes from the University of
Vermont Medical Center, Ronald McDonald House is a peaceful retreat
with many comforts of home, serving families and caregivers who
reside outside of Chittenden County. The moment you walk through
(05:36):
the door, you'll find a welcoming home staffed around the
clock to host you. You'll find quiet spaces inviting you
to take a moment for yourself. You'll find privacy in
one of our eight bedrooms, and a home cooked dinner
waiting for you each evening, prepared in our fully equipped kitchen.
Ronald McDonald House has laundry facilities, Wi Fi and secure
off street parking. Children staying at Ronald McDonald House take
(05:59):
full advantage of our under the C Playroom, an outdoor playground.
The founder of the first Ronald McDonald House, pediatric oncologist,
doctor Audrey Evans, believed that a family with a sick
child is a sick family. Our mission is to provide
families and caregivers a place to recharge and support one
another outside of the hospital setting, while keeping them close
(06:22):
to their child during treatment. With a referral from a
hospital social worker or doctor's office, eligible families or caregivers
can stay at Ronald McDonald House for the duration of
their child's treatment free of charge. We support you so
your focus can be on your child when they need
you the most. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Burlington. You
(06:42):
bring the hope. We have the rest covered. For more information,
go to r MHCVT dot org.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Such a great video, such a great summary. I know, Chris, Christine,
which do you prefer?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So I'm really Chris. All of you would know me
by Chris, but at the house they call me Christine.
It doesn't matter Chris, Christy, Christine.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Ay of any of the of them. Thank you so
much for joining us on the podcast and for giving
us that great video. I think we're obviously going to
talk about it, but I think it's a really great
video that just kind of sums up what the Ronald
McDonald House is here for and what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
It does, and I'm going to toot your horn right now.
We'll start it off that way, too tuned because that
video that you just saw, that beautiful aquarium basement that
was funded by Myers red Can Family, So thank you,
and it truly is I mean, the kitchen is always
you know, the heart of the home and the nucleus
(07:49):
of the home, but that is a gathering place down there.
We actually have board meetings down there now, So thank
you to Myers for that.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, Joe tell us a little bit about that went
behind you guys wanting to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yeah, you know so, Jeff, when he started this company,
really felt important to give back to the community as
much as we can. And Jeff's son Ken was very
involved in the house and Jeff's ex wife Denise served
on the board for a number of years, might still
be on the board. And Jeff always donated and gave
(08:27):
trash service and things of that sort. And then a
couple of years ago we were in visiting with Chris
and she we were talking about kind of if you
had a magic wand what would be the first thing.
And she showed us the basement, which was like any
basement that you know a lot of people have. It
was a little dark and didn't really function the way
it wanted and she said, you know, we would love
(08:48):
to raise some funds for this. And we got back
in the car, Jeff and I and we're driving back
to the office and Jeff said, I'll call Chris up
and tell her, you know, whatever she needs, we'll do it.
And I'm like, really, chests fight couldn't probably be a
pretty big number, and he goes, no, we have to
do it. We have to do it, and it exceeded
(09:08):
anything that I think we ever expected. And they had
a wonderful ribbon cutting, and it really is just a showcase.
And we stopped and visit with Chris and just to
see the joy on these kids and the parents that
are I mean, I know, Aaron, you have children like
I do, and I can't imagine what these families are
(09:30):
going through, you know, knock on wood. I never had
to go through anything remotely what these kids and parents
have to go through. So, you know, make it a
little more comfortable, to make it a little bit easier
while they're they're here. It's just so important.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Well, and I think Chris, as you said, you know,
the kitchen they always say is the heart of the home,
But the basement, to me, like that's all the fun
and that's where all the memories happen, like and that
might just be I grew up in a home where
the basement was. You know, our friends came over, Well
where's everybody. They're down to the basement. They're down to
the basement. And so I feel like having that in
the Ronald McDonald house and that that's like right, that's
(10:06):
like the play like, that's kind of like the fun
the Fun Zone, and upstairs is you know, all business
and there's a lot of love. But to know that's
really the place to go and unwind and hang out
is probably pretty great.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
It really is a wonderful gathering space. It's also a
place when there are a big group of children, we
could say, oh, go downstairs because you don't hear anything.
But it's also you have to go through the basement
to get to the laundry room, and it was dark
and just a regular basement. As Joe said earlier, you know,
it had gray walls and it was just nothing redeeming.
(10:38):
I had put a pool table down there, but that
wasn't working. And I had this vision for years and
years that I wanted to have this aquarium. The ceiling
was low. I thought this would be a great space
for that. And when Jeff said I would love to
fund a project, I said, I've got a project for you. So,
you know, it really really just worked beautifully. And I
(10:58):
remember at an open house we had Jeff sitting downstairs.
The basement had been completed, and nobody knew, you know,
they weren't paying attention to him, but he was just
sitting there and people were dooing and ayeing about the basement,
and I think that sort of was a testament to
what we had done and to Jeff had to make
him feel good to hear how much everybody was really
(11:19):
appreciating the basement. And we do have other rooms, but
that one is there's a TV down there, and like
I said, I think I said, we have board meetings
down there now and it's just a happy place. And
we have a scavenger hunt on the wall, so we
have a list and the kids can find, you know,
the different items on the walls. So it's a good place.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Perfect And so the basement, right, we've talked about, but
just the house as a whole. How are things going?
Do I know? Are you? Are you full? Are you
like what's been going on lately?
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Yeah, so we are. I was just talking to a
staff member this morning saying in ebbs and flows like anything,
we have a waiting list. We have been very full
since the end of last year. Very long term stays.
So our average length is stay is ten days, but
we've had months when once a family is in, they
can stay for as long as they need. There's no
(12:14):
end date on that that time. So there's a lot
of premies. We call them micro premis where they're you know,
you could just like they're one they're one pound, like
you can barely they fit in your hand. So those
parents stay for a very long time. And so we
have eight rooms. We're full, We have a waiting list
with people you know, eager to come. And last year
(12:37):
we served over ninety seven families and we that provided
fourteen hundred nights overnight stays for families and we we
really have figured out it was not a statistic or
data that we had provided in the past, but you know,
(12:58):
we have a home for these people to come to.
You know, they have a bed, they have warm meals,
they have us to support them, the staff if they
want to talk. But we've also saved over last year
over three hundred thousand dollars probably closer to four hundred
thousand dollars in expenses, and that means families don't have
to travel back and forth, gas expenses, lodging, all of that.
(13:24):
So we really, we really are saving families, you know,
so much, not only money, but just anxiety and when
they when they really need it most, because as you can,
the child sometimes it's an emergency where the child, you know,
mom's going into labor and the baby is born super early.
Or it could be an appendicitis, it could be broken legs,
ski accidents, cancer, and so they're already dealing with so much,
(13:49):
and you know, we all know there's so much going
on in our lives and in the world, and so
our number one priority is to give them a respite
while they're here, to make sure they're comfortable, to make sure,
you know, they don't want for anything. And we have
a new probe. We found out that the hospital, we
provide three meals a day, but they were taking the
(14:11):
dinner meals and bringing them to the hospital. So we
were a little short on dinner meals because we have
guest chefs come in. So we now I got a
grant and we are providing lunches for families, and we're
working with Great Harvest, if you know Great Harvest down
on Pines. They're wonderful. So they're giving sandwiches at cost
(14:33):
and every Monday and Thursday, I pick up sandwiches and
we put them in the refrigerator and they have little bags.
They could bring those sandwiches to the hospital as well,
and chips and drinks, and so they don't have to
buy the food up there because at the hospital only
nursing moms can get a boucher to eat. So, you know,
we were really excited about that. And so last year
(14:56):
we had over twelve thousand meals that we were providing
to families. And so we have guest chefs come in
every day. They don't come in every day, and they
call and they get put on our calendar and they
bring ingredients and they can make whatever they want and
if the guests can eat it, that's up to them.
But there's no restrictions. We don't you know, ask for
(15:17):
any dietary restrictions and and it's really a wonderful thing.
So businesses come in and and families or you know,
moms with kids and you know, really trying to teach
their kids, you know, giving back at a young age.
A lot of times we have families that come back
that have stayed here and then they're coming back just
to visit and to.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I was going to I was going to ask that
that must be so great when you know, you guys
are a huge part of this early moment, especially when
we talk about the little babies and their life and
it's very stressful and and so then once the kid
is now thriving, when that's the case, like to see
them come back. And I'm sure that that's got to
be really rewarding for you guys working there too.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
It was funny had just called me this morning and
she's like so and so, and you know, everybody thinks
that we remember everyone, but there's so many families in
and out. It's like, oh, yes, how's your baby, and well,
we're going to come by on Tuesday. We want to
show you how you know, how big he is. And
I was like, oh, well, she and I said, well,
Tuesday might not be the best day. You know, there's
all kinds of meetings and other things set up, but
(16:21):
they get so excited to come back and show us pictures.
We get Christmas cards, we get to see and then
we've had adult kids that have come back here. Well
they're adults now that we're here when they were children.
Because we've been in existence for forty we're going on
our forty second year this year, so we've been around
for a long time. And we are one of three
(16:42):
hundred and fifty nine Ronald McDonald houses around the world,
and so we're under the umbrella of Ronald McDonald House
Global out of Chicago, but we we all, you know,
operate independently. And this is a misconception. People think that
McDonald's funds us whole, you know, completely, and McDonald's does
(17:06):
not fund us. McDonald's the owner operators help fund us
and they are great contributors and they give us a
lot of money. But the big McDonald's in Chicago, they
don't give us money. So what that means is when
you're going through McDonald's and you put money in the
box the donation boxes that comes back to us, that's
(17:26):
your money as a community member. Or when you go
to the register and they say do you want to
round up for r MHC, which we're really promoting, that
money comes to us as well. So they have Shamrock Shake,
you know, events and happy meals and they have different
events fundraisers for us, which is wonderful and so they
really are a good portion of our budget. Those events
(17:48):
that come in. We don't really do events here. It's
just we don't have the staffing to do that. And
we have one event it's in September at Waterworks called
a waitathon and that's fun. Then we you know, we
have people come in and serve customers and they all
the tips come to the house. So that's about all
(18:11):
we have for events.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Now, Chris, is there any cost for the families when
they come and stay with you for the meals or
the lodging or anything like that?
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Good question. I didn't mention that. No, everything is no
charge to them at all. The only thing we ask
for is a twenty five dollars deposit which they get
back when they leave in case there's any damage. You know,
in the past we have had some instances where there's
been damage and we've had to paint the room or something.
So that's the only thing. But everybody gets their money back,
(18:43):
and yeah, it doesn't cost them a thing. And like
I said, stay as long as they want.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And another thing I think that makes the world go around,
which you've kind of touched on that is the volunteers.
So if someone is interested in volunteering or doing something
to help you guys, what's the best way for them
to make that happen.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah, so they can just call us and that's if
they you know, they can look up Ronald McDonald house
or it's eight oh two eight six two four nine
four three, and they can bake if they don't want
to cook a meal. We have I think it was
twenty two hundred hours of volunteer service last year. We
(19:23):
are volunteer pool declined extensively after COVID, but we we
do have opportunities for volunteers. It's mostly cooking, actually, but
that that is what what we count on, you know,
for our guests and for any kind of help here.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
We haven't talked about Mike.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Oh and Mike. Where is Mike? Mike is I could
go get him. He's probably sitting right outside the door.
Mike is well.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And there's some photos. There's some photos. There's a photo
you know, my man is he's water dog. And I
giggled when I said it, mostly because last week we
had a conversation about pets with human names, and so
it's quite appropriate that we have Mike here, who is
a pet with a human name.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
About my Yeah, So Mike is actually an Australian labradoodle
and he looks like a Portuguese water dog. He's an
Australian labordoodle and he comes from Indiana where they breathe
them and train them to work at Ron McDonald houses.
And he's hypoallergenic and that's why there's the doodle in him.
Mike came to us well eight years ago and he'll
(20:34):
be nine on July twenty seventh. But eight years ago,
we had a volunteer here Mike chronicg you if anybody
knows that name, Father Mike from Saint Michael's College. And
I loved Mike. He was here every Sunday night and
we ended up having a massive heart attack and dying
and I was crushed. And then little the dog comes
like the next week and the dog is black and
(20:57):
he's got white and it kind of looked like a
priest call. And so his name is Michael Ronnie and
it's after father Mike from Saint Michael's College. So we
had a big, you know, puppy shower forum and Brother
Michael Carter at the time, who's now also a father
Mike at mounttern Christie. He he really spoke about, you know,
the relationship of a friend and a pet, and it
(21:20):
was it was just beautiful. So Father Mike is with
us every day. Mike is just a tremendous relief to
our families that stay here. Most of them have pets
that they leave at home, so almost I would say
ninety five percent of our guests have pets that they're
leaving at home, and they're here for months at a
time and they don't see their pets. So every day
(21:40):
he's getting petted, and he has his own business card
and he has his streets, and he is a wonderful
addition to the house. He really he's really very special.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
I hope he gets a birthday party.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
And he does. It's a big birthday party. When he
actually two. When was it when he turned twenty one?
In human years, we had a big party over three
needs for three needs for him and the party hats.
But every year he has a party and we give
out goodie bags to all the guests from from Mike
(22:16):
and yeah, he has a pretty good life. He's very Yeah,
I guess all dogs they really like routine. So you know,
he stands by the door in the morning, I put
his vest on. He wants to go to work. He
seems disappointed when he doesn't come to work. But it's
really interesting. Where my office is, I look out and
every day he's like he lies outside my office and
(22:36):
everybody high Mike, Hi Mike, and they all, you know,
kneel down and they pet him and it's really sweet
to see the kids love him, and so yeah, it's
a good thing. So it really is a home. We
say it's a homeway from home, but it truly is
a homeway from home. And you know, parents are walking around,
our family members in their you know, in their pajamas,
(22:59):
and they have said that We've had lately a lot
of people coming in and they just they're in tears.
They so we had no idea it would be so homey,
so comfortable, and that makes us feel really good. That
means we're doing our job well. And I you know,
I honestly have to say again to Myers, because not
only the basement, but you've been so generous on so
(23:20):
many levels. And it really does help sustain us because
we don't that's where we get our money from. It's
the community members and the donors, and that's how we
stay afloat. So all of that is really important. But
Myers has been exceptionally generous to us, so and I
know to many others as well.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Well, And we talk about all the time, and you know,
many people do contribute financially, but contributes with their time,
you know, can point of our owners is often in
their cooking and Jeff comes in and Denise, as I
talked about, helped to do some of the books for
the house for a number of years. So you know,
(23:59):
it's not just take every dollar she can get, of course,
but it's the other stuff that goes a long way
too with helping, volunteering that you know, the way to
con or cooking in the house or just being around
for helping you.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
That's right. Yeah, And I do want to give a
shout out to Kenny because he comes in and he's
he's a great cook and it's so fun to watch
him in the kitchen and obviously Denise and Jeff, So yeah,
that's what that's what we count on. We count on
those people and for caring.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
So before we let you go, I have a final
question and you may have already done it, because I
think it's probably something people ask, but I just I wondered,
what is something about the Ronald McDonald house that you
find most people maybe you don't know but you wish
they did, or what's like a common misconception which you
mentioned to the McDonald's McDonald's is huge.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
I think the biggest misconception art is when people come in.
We've sent that video up to the hospital and for
them to show families before they come. But I people
walk through the door and we've had people like crying
when they see the house. I think that they don't
know what to expect. They think it might be more
(25:10):
like a hotel or very clinical, and some fron McDonald
houses are that way. The larger homes, I think they're
shocked to see how homey it is. And a lot
of people don't know it that we're only children up
to the age of twenty one. That's another you know
sort of people don't know that fact. And we serve
(25:31):
Vermont and upstate New York. That's our territory. Although we
have kids that come in that have been in skiing accidents.
They go to the one of the colleges in town
and you know, they get hurt. So their parents come
in from Portugal and Utah and so we have that
as well. But yeah, one of my favorite stories is
a mom came in she had preclamsy of very high
(25:51):
blood pressure. She hadn't she wasn't well. They kept her
in the hospital after the child was born, and she
care blood pressure was through the roof and she came
down here. She went upstairs to her room and came
down and her husband was in tears. He said her
blood pressure has dropped thirty points since she walked in
the door. So that that is what it feels like here,
(26:12):
you know, to know that we're really easing that anxiety
for these parents and helping in that way. But I think, oh,
the other thing people might not know is we have
a family room at the hospital and that's on Bared five,
the pediatric floor, and it's called the family Room. And
it's a small like a small apartment that has a kitchen,
and it has a shower and laundry. And so parents
(26:38):
that are staying up at the that live in Chittnam
County that don't need to stay at the house but
might just need to get out of their child's room
for a while. If they're on Bard five, they can
go to that room and get a snack, make coffee,
watch TV. We have that room as well. So those
are just some of the perks of Ronomick Donaldhouse.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
Perfect. Yeah, anything else.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
From you, Joe, No, thank you, Chris. Easing into this experiment.
So it's nice that you were willing to hop on
and chat with us a little bit about it, and
we appreciate all everything, you know, the but also you, Chris,
you give so much of your time and a wonderful call.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
So thank you, thank you, thanks for inviting me. I
was really honored that you invited me, and I wish
you just great luck. I love the name. I think
it's just a fabulous name, good branding, and I know
it'll be successful. So good luck, and thank.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
You, thank you, thank you, Chris, thank you, bye. Thanks.
She's great.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
She's she's the best I've known Chris for for a
long time, and she's so dedicated to the organization and community.
We're lucky to have somebody like that. It's it's the
small amount of time I spend it on there. You know,
it's hard. You know, we all complain about our jobs
from time to time, but you know, my job's not
(28:06):
saying when I My biggest problem is people complain their
trash doesn't get picked up, not that their kid's not
going to make it. So it's it's she's she's definitely
a special person.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Yeah, I think I think one of the things that's
great is like the mental load that a mom or
a dad make, Harry, especially when you're just having a child,
or when you have a child who's older but ill, like,
there's a lot. And so for them to just like
take that entire men's load away and be like, hey,
like we got you is like amazing. Plus the no
(28:39):
no financial burden either, It's so great.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
You know.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
I was convinced my wife was going to die when
our first son was born. Not that there was any problems.
I was just convinced she was going to die. So
in my mind, I'm like, I'm going to be a
single thought, or I'm twenty five years old. What am
I going to do here?
Speaker 1 (28:55):
You know? It's just yeah, happy to share. She's still around.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
She's still around. Yeah, absolutely. I told her she had
a sea section, so all she did was lay there
and they cut her open it.
Speaker 1 (29:07):
Oh no, no, I too am a sea section, mama,
And that is not I had to push and then
become a sea section. So that's like I didn't even
get the perfect little sea sections shaped babyhead.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Yes. Yes, well our son was ten to four, so
he was planning sea section. So she often comments that
you know how hard it was, and it was it was.
It was tad, which is one of the reasons why
it was a.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Sea Section fair Fair. Anything else new going on at Myers?
I know you said you had a couple of things
ready to rock that you wanted to chat about. Oh,
I was going to tell you this morning. I went
to take a photo, but unfortunately it is a competitor
that not me. My hi uses. But it's trash day
over here at the Barker household, and I had they
(29:56):
came early today. So the two kids are in the
kitchen and they run right the door and they're standing
there just so intrigued watching the trash shock come on
right through and it's like so adorable, how much they
love it. My son raying to get one of his
trash trucks.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Like Another fun fact is my h o AA is
a competitor too, so I don't my cho isn't even
a Myers h OA. So sorry, Jeff, Yeah, yeah, you
tell them that all the time. But you know he
was happening because usually I would bring extra bags into
here and throw it away. When I did so, he
(30:31):
reminded me, now I can't do that, so keep it
with our competitor.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
I will say though, as I stare out my window
there's a huge construction site going up behind my house,
which also makes the three year old happy. But you
guys are the commercial dumpster holler of choice, or however
you want to say it. So I have been seeing
a lot of myers everywhere, which is great.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
We appreciate.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
You know, there's a big time for us, you know, come,
we know we're in to Passover and then as Easter Sunday,
so Monday is going to be a big day. All
next week will be big because people will have family
over and produce more trash. And you know Monday, those
who have the Monday axit a little bit harder, so
they put their containers out. You know, we pick up
(31:16):
trash every day except for Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day,
So every other day of the year we pick up trash.
So we get calls. I got calls today or are
you going to pick up Easter Monday? And we do.
So the guys will come out of the holiday, be
Passover or or Easter, and you know, don't work long.
You know it will be a longer day on Monday
(31:36):
form so it's it's easy for me to sit here
in the warm office and talking about it. But the
guys are out there and women out there still makes
it a little bit harder for him. But at least
the weather's turning. It will be a little bit warmer
for him on Monday.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
Yeah, and I'm sure it's not quite as bad as Christmas,
but the Easter Bunny does leave garbage behind it. It's
such a crazy thing, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny,
like all these boxes just come out of.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Know, we'll have to talk next week.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Aaron.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
You know my kids are beyond that, so don't get
Easter baskets. But I'll be curious to hear about your kids,
at least one of them. I'm sure the young one
doesn't quite get it yet.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
Oh no, but she's she's got to have a basket too.
I can't give the I can't give Jack a basket,
and then Ellie is like, where's mine. I will say
Jack is definitely getting more spoiled. But maybe I'll snap
a couple of picks this week and then we can
share them next week on how Easter went down. Because Ellie,
my younger one, is she's she's gonna be something like
she I have a video, I'll text it to you.
(32:34):
I don't know if it's appropriate for the whole world
to see it. But they're like wrestling, and Ellie, the
younger one, is like holding her own like I'm like,
get a girl, like she's gonna be a tough little
second child, little sister. So it uh, I could not
get her.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
One of the my wife taught me is, you know,
you you had the easter bunny comes and hides eggs
around the house, of course, and you let the kids
know that there's twenty two eggs hidden, and of course
you only hide twenty so you get an extra twenty minutes.
Your husband and you, you know, they have a second
cup of coffee, and they'll they'll tire themselves out for
(33:10):
a good twenty minutes look for those two extra eggs.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
That's a good one. Oh, I think I might have
to take that.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I did.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
I did go with the different like sized and like
look of eggs, because otherwise Jack will just find alive
Ellie's and so at least his can be bigger. But
I like that. Oh no, I think there's one more.
There's one more we did.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
We did blue and Pink, you know, the pink one
was for for Sophie and the blue ones for our Spencer,
and you know that helped the older one.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
You know, that's all right, my jack. We are. We
did a hunt last week at the hardware store. We're
doing the Wilson one this weekend. We got one at
a friend's house, we got one at our house. We
go on at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They're gonna be
able to find anything missing for a long time after
the practice they're getting on.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
They keep all the eggs they can put in their
college fund. With how expensive eggs are, I know, oh.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
I save them all for next year. I'm not purchasing it.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
There you go, all right.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I think that's a good end point for this week's podcast.
We uh yeah, I mean this is awesome. I know
we said earlier we're just into number two, but I'm
really excited about this. I think it's really fun to
get people in a more candid atmosphere to kind of
talk about their charities, their communities, they're what they do.
And then it's great too when there's the added connection
(34:26):
and as Chris said of the Meyers Horn, because you
guys do a ton and you deserve a little too
touting to shine a little light on it.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I agree, it's going to be fun, and I know
we have a couple coming up of other charities and
other things we're doing, so it's exciting. It's a lot
of fun. And you and I always have an opinion
on something, so we'll talk about something. You know, we
always have something to talk about.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
I love it, I love it all right. Well, until
next time. We hope everybody has a great week. This
is the Trash Talking and Giving Back Podcast. No No,
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