Volunteers

Volunteer Application

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Volunteers are the backbone of our organization. We have many volunteer opportunities to suit your schedule and preferences, whether serving as a House Volunteer, a Teen Volunteer, working with our Meal & Casserole Program or working as a Special Event or Speaker's Bureau Volunteer. Be sure to check out our featured volunteer profile!

We also have many opportunities for groups to do projects, please contact the Houses directly for a list of available projects.

Tampa House - located on Davis Islands - contact Maggie Somerville at (813) 254-2398, ext. 317
St. Pete East, West & Central Houses near ACH - contact Lise Fields at (727) 767-7685

House Volunteers

Trained volunteers are an integral part of the Ronald McDonald House program. Volunteers are needed on an ongoing basis every day of the week for these shifts: 9:00 am-1:00 pm, 10:00 am-2:00 pm, 2:00 pm-6:00 pm or 6:00 pm-10:00 pm. (6-9pm at the Tampa House)

Volunteers register and check out families, answer telephones, give House tours and assist in the day-to-day operation of the House by helping where needed.

Volunteers must have the ability to relate to children and adults. A primary quality is the ability to be a good, understanding listener as parents may need to share the burden of their child’s hospitalization. Good telephone and organizational skills are important. We have a great need for volunteers who speak Spanish.

Volunteers must have their own transportation. Adult singles or couples are welcome. Volunteers are needed for arts & crafts, house decorating and those with special skills such as hair styling or massage therapy.

Time Commitment

A minimum of two four-hour shifts per month is requested as outlined above. Orientation is held monthly.

Housewarmer - St. Pete Houses

Housewarmer volunteers assist the families and make them feel welcome, help keep the kitchen and dining areas clean and keep a watchful eye on activities around the house. Other duties include light housekeeping, such as straightening the common rooms and tidying the kitchen, assist groups preparing and serving meals and provide a listening ear for the parents who have a need for someone to share the burden of their child's hospitalization.

Time Commitment

Flexible scheduling in the morning or around meal times seven days a week; there is no minimum monthly time commitment.

Teen Programs

The St. Petersburg houses are designated Service Learning sites. High school students work along side staff restocking pantries, storing donations, and performing light housekeeping and light yard work. They also facilitate children’s activities and make treats for the families.

    • Teens must be at least 15 years old.
    • The summer program begins shortly after school lets out for the summer and continues as the teen’s schedule allows during the school year.
    • The application process begins in March with a tour for the parents and teen. The application can be completed and guidelines signed at that time. Bright Futures scholarship applications need to be signed off by staff and the school counselor before beginning the program.
    • After an orientation, teens schedule a 3-hour shift from 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm (weekdays only).
    • Teen Cuisine program offers service hours for providing a home-cooked meal for the West House families.

    Contact Lise Fields in St. Pete by email or call 727-767-8166.
    For Tampa, email Maggie Somerville or call 813-254-2398, ext. 317.
    For teens under age 15 or for additional ways you can help, here is an Activity List. Top

    Ideas for Kids

    Here is a list of activities and ways for kids to help Ronald McDonald House.

    Meals & Casseroles

    Create a casserole supper, cook in our kitchen or on our gas grill, order in pizza, make breakfast, stew, soup or chili. Bring in a prepared meal for RMH volunteers to set up and serve, prepare and serve the meal yourself or dine with our families after your “chef” work. Members from local civic clubs, churches and area businesses love this fun and creative “teambuilding” effort!

    Fresh Meat & Dairy Sponsor – help fund weekly bulk deliveries of fresh beef and chicken for the children and new mothers who need the nutrition.

    Hold a Pantry Drive – collect canned goods, paper products, cleaning and other household supplies - we’ve got 66 bedrooms, 70 bathrooms & four kitchens!

    St. Pete Meal Preparation Guide and Tampa Meal Preparation Guides are available for your use.
    St. Pete Central House Meal Prep Guide

    Tampa Meal Coordinator
    St. Pete Meal Coordinator

    Other Ways To Volunteer

    Individuals or groups are needed to assist in planning and working special events. If your organization enjoys working together on events or if you would like to organize your own event to benefit our families, please contact Lauren Sawyer for more information. Our two main events each year are the Charity Golf Classic in November and the Storybook Ball in the Spring.

    Volunteer Profile

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    Candace Cressor

    Ronald McDonald House meal volunteer gets back what she gives

    When you walk in the doors of the Tampa Ronald McDonald House and are embraced by the smell of pot roast, you know Candace Cressor is making dinner. Pot roast and meat loaf are two of her specialties, along with her homemade cornbread, potatoes and dessert. Everything is made from scratch. Candace is usually found wearing one of her signature aprons, bustling about the kitchen, and stopping to give a family member a big smile and ask how they are doing.

    Candace is one of those big-hearted South Tampa residents that Ronald McDonald House is so fortunate to have. She comes once or twice a month without fail, to prepare her special meals. Her roasts are a favorite, and something not often found in our kitchens, where groups usually only have a limited time to prepare their meals. Candace will arrive early in the morning to put the meat in the crock pot, and return later that day to complete the meal. When asked why she is so consistent about preparing these meals, which cost her $40 each, she responds, "Because it makes me happy." She loves to cook, likes the creativity of it, and loves how it makes her feel.

    Early in the 1990's, Candace was the meal coordinator for Hands On Tampa, who often prepare meals at RMH. She also donated her time to a Food Bank program called Kid Café, feeding hot meals to kids after school. When they tore down the building that she cooked in, her program was discontinued, and she began looking for other volunteer opportunities. That is when she called the Tampa RMH Meal Coordinator Tracy Wilson, and decided to start preparing meals on her own.

    Like many of our volunteers, Candace shares her time with other organizations as well. She has been delivering meals for Meals On Wheels once a week for the past 15 years, and occasionally still helps out at the Food Bank. She also operates her own South Tampa business as a certified Rolfer, a hands-on manipulation that works on the connective tissue to release, realign and balance the whole body. Her clients include people who use their bodies in very specific ways such as musicians, athletes, people who spend a lot of time at a keyboard, and anyone who has soft tissue injury. Over the past twenty years she has built a strong reputation and is sought after as a guest instructor at the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration in Boulder, Colorado.

    Candace is the type of person you are drawn to – she is warm and giving; upon meeting, you immediately feel a connection with her. She says that she enjoys preparing meals at RMH because the families are always so nice and appreciative, and she feels like she is making a difference. When families return from a long and exhausting day at the hospital with their sick child and are welcomed by Candace's smile and the wonderful aroma of a home-cooked meal, they feel like they have returned to their "home-away-from-home" and that is our mission. She is making a difference, and we are thankful to have her.

    If you would like to learn more about rolfing, please click here. Candace can be reached for consultation at (813) 251-1367.