The Ray White Manuka Team recently cooked up a classic Kiwiana barbecue for the families staying at Ronald McDonald House in Auckland.
“I saw the opportunity to volunteer to cook for the families as I am currently fundraising for Ronald McDonald House by running the Queenstown marathon and thought it would be a great way for the team to come together in a unique way and learn about the House” says Hannah Cleary from Ray White Manukau.
“Both my brother and I were Starship babies and my mum had to spend a significant amount of time at the Starship Hospital and the house facility they had back then. To see the facility today and what they are able to offer these families shows how much progress has been made and the support from New Zealander’s for such a great cause” says Hannah Cleary. “We did this purely with the aim of putting the families first and going out of our ways to ensure that we make their lives just that little bit easier. Naturally, it takes team-work to have the event come together and without each individual working together in sync would never get off the ground, so the team building factor is really just an added-bonus for us.” she adds.
Ronald McDonald House’s primary purpose is to support families on their time of need by providing practical and emotional support. With three houses across New Zealand Ronald McDonald Houses help keep families together – because families are stronger when they are together.
“There is no feeling like being able to help take a load off families that are under intense stress; it is a mix of realisation of how fortunate we are, and how much we have to be grateful for. The feeling of knowing that you gesture may only be a small part in the matrix but is extremely cherished by the families is indescribable. ” says Adam Thompson from Ray White Manukau.
Ray White Manukau regularly sponsor projects in their community – such as the New Zealand Fire Brigade Touch Tournament. the Radio Networks ‘Special Children’s Christmas Party’, and have also provided books for Puhinui Primary School. Although this was their first time cooking at Ronald McDonald House it certainly won’t be the last – with all team members keen to make it an annual event.
Ray White New Zealand have supported Ronald McDonald Houses since 2007 – helping to keep families together, and this year also stepped up their support of the charity by offering individual salesperson support partnership initiatives in addition to the long established office partnership opportunities. “It is always humbling to see members step up as individuals and gather their teams to support this important charity” says Graeme Fraser, Ray White New Zealand Auckland Performance Manager.