Ray White Manukau are stepping up their support of Ronald McDonald House with salesperson Hannah Cleary about to run the Queenstown marathon to raise funds for the charity.
Since partnering with Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in May this year, Ray White Manukau have raised close to $7,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities. In addition to regular financial contributions made to the charity the team have taken every opportunity to give back and support the House – from the RMH National Street Appeal in June, to attending the RMH Supper Club (and purchasing an auctioned item) in August, to selling their own Ray White yellow bike in an online auction and recently cooking for the families at the Auckland House. Next – salesperson Hannah Cleary – one of the driving forced behind the office’s partnership – will be running her first ever marathon and raising funds for Ronald McDonald House. Having run the Auckland Half Marathon last year Hannah thought she would make a change, attempting both a new course, and her first ever full marathon.
“I’ve entered the marathon (yes, the whole 42 kilometres!) because I knew this would be a huge mental and physical challenge for me, but nothing in comparison to what these families have to endure. What Ronald McDonald House does though, is help make everything just that much easier, by providing a home away from home for affected families where they can relocate to while they manoeuvre this challenging time of their life. Both my brother and I were Starship babies, and although we can’t remember being there, I know having the RMH made life a lot easier for my parents. Apparently the House was very different back then so it’s great see what has been built and developed for families nowadays to help worry a little bit less and feel more comfortable whilst they are going through trying times with their children’s health” says Hannah.
RMHA provides free accommodation and support for over 2,200 Kiwi families each year, while their children receive specialist medical treatment at the National Children’s Hospital. “From our humble origins starting with just 10 rooms, RMHA has since grown to accommodate 80 families each night, and over the last 20 years have served more than 15,000 families from right across the country. It has been a remarkable journey – made possible by the help of supporters like Ray White.” says Wayne Howett, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Auckland. “Providing for the families is a collective effort, and our service delivery to families in need would simply not be possible without supporters like Hannah and the Ray White Manukau Team.”
Ray White have been proud supporters of Ronald McDonald since 2007, and Ray White Manukau’s partnership with Ronald McDonald House is a shining example of an office making the most of their partnership with the House. CEO of Ray White New Zealand, Carey Smith says: “our relationship and support of RMH is a relationship we value nurture and strive to grow. Having just celebrated their 20th birthday in October this year, we are reminded of the truly inspiring effort and support our members have been providing to their local Ronald McDonald Houses all across New Zealand.”
Hannah will be completing the marathon on 22 November in Queenstown. And while training is going fairly well, she hopes to boost her fundraising as she strives to raise $2,500 for the charity.
“My main goal is to complete the whole marathon without walking – I don’t mind how slow the jog is and if it takes me six hours then so be it, I just don’t want to walk! All in all, it’s a very thought-provoking experience; it’s empowering to see what I have achieved through the discipline of training and constant perseverance, but also completely humbling to think that in the scheme of things it is just really a long run – it is nothing near the challenges these families face in their day to day life.” says Hannah.
Visit Hannah’s fundraising page here to find out more and make a donation.
Find out more about Roanld McDonald House by watching this video that aired on TVNZ’s Breakfast program.