August After Dark

Ronald McDonald House CEO: It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Help a Sick Child

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Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon: rmhbc.ca
Register for the Okanagan Dream Rally: okanagandreamrally.com

What happens to a family when their child is airlifted to BC Children's Hospital with nothing but the clothes on their back?

In this episode of August After Dark, Matt sits down with Richard Pass — CEO of Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon for nearly 20 years — the man who transformed a small charity serving 13 families into the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world.

But tonight, Richard isn't just here to celebrate what's been built. He's here because there's a fight happening — and it might be the most important conversation we've had on this stage.

Right now, 700 families a year are being turned away from Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon. Families who have left their jobs, their homes, and their communities to be beside a critically ill child. Families who have slept in cars. Families who have lost everything.

A new 12-story, $100 million timber house is ready to be built — one that would serve 150 families at a time, with private suites, a healing centre, a rooftop space, and the kind of dignity every family in crisis deserves.

The federal government is in. The Yukon is in. The City of Vancouver is in.

BC still hasn't committed.

This one matters. Share it.

SPEAKER_01

It shouldn't be that a child gets sick and the family loses everything. Right. It's unfathomable to think that our province isn't supporting something at this magnitude. Like, what are they supposed to do?

SPEAKER_02

Families over the years have stayed in cars, bunked in with other people.

SPEAKER_01

If they didn't have the house, they would have lost everything. You guys have to talk about grief sometimes. Yeah. Because not all kids do go home.

SPEAKER_02

We own it. We don't shy away from talking about it. Some days it's tougher than others. We can't turn away 700 families. No, no, it really is a travesty to have to turn those families away. It's about the children and it's about uh serving those families and it's serving them now as soon as possible.

SPEAKER_01

Tonight is all about Ronald McDonald House BC and UConn, which has been the heart of everything we do here. The dream rally, our annual fundraising, it all connects back to this. Tonight I'm sitting with the man who built it, Richard Pass, who's been CEO of Ronald McDonald House for nearly 20 years. He took a charity serving 13 families with two and a half staff into the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world. But here's the thing right now, there's a fight happening, and it might be the most important conversation we have on this stage. All right, Richard, welcome to August After Dark. Welcome to August Motor Cars. Thank you, Matt. It's uh really a pleasure to be here. Of course. Well, we're happy to have you. Um, I open most of the podcasts with what's in the garage. And knowing already that you're not much of a car guy, which is okay. Um my question to you would be you know, for me, driving a car is like my outlet and it's just something I find peace with. Um so with with that to you, what do you do on a daily basis or or or a time that just kind of gives you clarity and something you do for yourself?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Uh I play guitar. Uh I I like to play. Uh I I play um pretty much every day, and uh whether it's uh acoustic or electric, and uh I just get to uh listen to music, play along, and uh I just find that zone where I just uh feel peace but enjoyment. Uh it's just is a really something I really enjoy. Do you do that at at home or do you kind of I do have a guitar in the office and uh I play there, and of course uh I play at home, yes. Uh but um with the music therapy room, the at the Roll McDonald House, then uh also go in and play with Erin uh as often as I can. Uh she's the music therapist and uh just uh it just makes you feel good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well it's definitely one of my favorite parts of the house is the music room. I I find that I think music is just so therapeutic for so many people. Absolutely. And uh to be able to share that gift and have that gift is is a is a very cool gift to have. Yeah, I think so too. Yeah. Before we get into everything um you've built, what was a moment 20 years ago um that really made you smile when you started doing what you're doing today?

SPEAKER_02

Um, I think uh one of the first moments was um actually in the job interview. I'd been working at the Y for years, uh, hadn't been looking for work, uh happy, uh engaged, that type of thing. And uh had posted a job on Charity Village, a website, uh, and uh I looked to see how it looked. And uh I saw the job for Ronald McDonald House and uh thought, huh, I think that's me. And uh so through that process and going through the interview process, uh, I just saw the house and the opportunity. I just saw underutilized um or under-served families, and I thought, boy, there's gotta be a way that uh this could be more. And uh that trigger uh right off the very bat was really something that made me uh really motivated to try to uh grow the organization and serve families.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah we've done a very good job. Wow, thank you. You've grown into one of the largest Ronald McDonald Houses in the world. So congratulations to you. Who's Richard when he's not CEO at Ronald McDonald House?

SPEAKER_02

Wow, that's a good question. Uh somebody that uh uh still cares for people, regardless, um, likes to get out into the woods as often as possible, um, and just find peace there as well. Uh uh the outdoors is fantastic, and also uh uh shooting baskets, uh playing horse uh would be uh something I enjoy doing very much.

SPEAKER_01

Cool. Um when you're out in the forest going for a walk, I toy with this all the time. Like sometimes I like it with listening to a podcast or listening to music. Yeah. And then there's other times where I'm just like nothing, just the just the serenity and quietness and the peace of being outdoors. What's what what lane do you take there?

SPEAKER_02

I take the uh just the nature path. Um I have music on uh when I work, uh when I play. Uh so most of the time there is music and noise, so to speak. Um so when I'm uh out in the woods having a walk, it's really uh uh the nature that I want to hear, uh the trees talking to one another and that type of thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

When you were not looking for a job and stumbled upon Ronald McDonald House, take me back to that moment and what what was the exact kind of feeling, you know, after your interview that was like, this is the place for me?

SPEAKER_02

I think the the opportunity there from a business perspective and from the serving of families and uh uh perspective, there are two perspectives there. So what I saw was um uh first on the family side, uh, were families that uh it was all oncology because the fed the house was so small and so uh 13 families at a time, you know, how many were being turned away? And there weren't statistics at the time. I just knew that there, I just knew from the phone calls coming in that uh we needed to grow. Um and then on the other side of that was the business perspective of uh how am I gonna do that? Um at the time, yeah, two and a half staff, um, about a $380,000 budget only, and um and and an underserved population. And so without reserves, you know, they had the opportunity to build a board, I had to build systems, and uh then do uh strategic planning for how to grow and then uh try to figure it all out. And that really was a motivator for me because I just found enjoyment in that in the game of how to do that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

One thing I know when we got involved with Ronald McDonald House, um, a lot of people asked me, you know, with the with the Dream Rally supporting RMHBC UConn, they said to me, you know, why are you supporting a Vancouver charity? Yeah. And that to me was that switch that was like, I need to support, I need to bring the community around and and have them understand exactly what the house does. Um, how hard has that been to kind of get out into communities? Because it is, it's serving the communities where we live, communities all the way up into the Yukon, um, all over British Columbia. Right. How difficult is that to kind of get donors and get people involved that way?

SPEAKER_02

Uh it's been really challenging. Uh one of the concepts, of course, that uh is that the house is in Vancouver. So uh, you know, who does it serve? Well, we don't serve families from Vancouver because ultimately they could stay at home. Um, even if it's across the bridge, it's still a long way to go when your child is seriously ill. Uh, but uh we had to draw some parameters around it. But the province um is really has been a challenge for us to tell that story because uh uh we serve everyone outside the lower mainland, 50 or more kilometers outside. And so a third of the population comes from the interior of BC, a third from the island, uh, and a third from north and Yukon. And so um, and yet still most of our fundraising comes from the Lower Mainland. That's because most of the staff are there. So as we've been growing in these last couple of years and being able to have a family room in Prince George, a family loop in a family room in Kamloops, uh, one in Surrey, then we're starting to get further out into the communities and be able to have those connections. And then, of course, the Dream Rally uh and the work that you do is phenomenal because it gives us an opportunity to talk more about the services that we provide to the families from this area.

SPEAKER_01

Just to give people that are listening a little context on the house and how many families come through the door every year around Laton House?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, about 700 or more unique families. So those are the, you know, individual families, but they come multiple times a year. So we serve around 2,000 families a year, 73 families at a time, at the house itself. And uh, and those families are there. Uh, the average night stay is just under uh 30 nights currently. Uh, but we've also got families that stay regularly 150 nights to the longest family stay so far, uh, just under three years. A family of six was living in the house for just under three years. So um, you know, the services that we provide are not just a home, a place to stay. As you know, it's the other uh programs for the kids, programs for the siblings, for the parents as well, but just trying to keep the whole family together uh so that that can help support the sick child and uh help keep the family healthy too.

SPEAKER_01

If you're able to give a little context on the family that's that longest stay, what was that road like for them?

SPEAKER_02

And uh they um uh so a family of six, uh it was five to start, but they were there long enough that they actually had a a baby at the same time as staying at the house. So uh the uh second youngest in that family at the time uh was uh had uh born with a serious illness, and um the uh hospital really took um couldn't figure it out, you know, that one of those diseases that they really had to had had a challenge with. And so uh the family was there. Um we gave them the largest room that we had. Um, but again, uh the every room in the house is a studio style, so like a hotel more or less. So, you know, a family of six uh staying and living, and uh uh they were there so long they had their scooters and they'd scoot around and go out, and you know, they were living a normal, if there is such a thing, family life uh at the Royal McDonald House for that time, and then of course going back and forth to the hospital to uh to support the child as well.

SPEAKER_01

And what was their longest duration stay like in at one time? Just under three years.

SPEAKER_02

So they didn't leave at all? They did not leave at all. Wow. Yeah, yeah. They were uh uh so many times, you know, um the families uh are coming from uh well, let me just describe a a typical situation. So a parent will take a child in, has a cough or some illness to uh a place, I'm gonna say Fort St. John for ease. And uh uh they take them into the doctor, and uh the doctor says, You've got to get to Vancouver right away. Um the helicopter uh will come pick them up, uh, and the parent and the child will fly down and be dropped at children's hospital, uh, basically with whatever they've got when they were at the you know at the doctor's office. And uh once they're assigned that social worker uh and get into the hospital, the social worker finds out their story, and uh if they have nowhere to stay, then they contact us, and then uh when we have availability, um, which uh sometimes isn't the case, uh they come over and they stay. So those families um uh come and then uh that's where they live. And so uh um, you know, eventually sometimes the other parent will come back and forth, other kids will come back and forth, but then often, depending on the sickness, um, those families will pull up from their jobs and come down and just stay as a family. So it really is challenging for all the families, um, no matter where they're from when they're in this situation.

SPEAKER_01

For those who haven't obviously been to Ron McDonald House or have heard much about it, how would you explain like a a a day in a life as a family in the house and and what you guys have curated for these families to make it feel like home?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Well, it it really is um a community of support, I guess is the way. Uh with 73 families at a time staying there, uh, so many of the families um have similar diagnoses. So uh a newly diagnosed family, for example, coming into the house uh will be introduced to their room, to the staff, the volunteers. And then when they come down into one of the kitchens, uh then they meet other families. And uh so many times I hear, uh, hi, my name's, you know, George, and what's yours and Susan, that kind of thing. And and what's your kid got? Oh, they've got uh, you know, whatever that illness is. Oh, mine does too. Uh, how long have you been here? So there's that collective support that they get right away from other families, uh not just the staff and volunteers, but then through the staff and volunteers, of course, we have all sorts of different programs. It's not just a place to stay. Um, we provide uh meals, uh, so there's food security programs for the all the kids, all the parents. Um, and uh and it's really a house of hope. You know, every every parent that gets there is optimistic that uh the treatment at hospital is going to work because that's how they get by every day. And uh and so we want to encourage that uh support and that uh positivism with everything we do. It's a very special place. It really is.

SPEAKER_01

It really is. Every time I go, I still it makes me get the watery eyes and everything else, and just to see, you know, the kids walking around and they're still hooked up to all their stuff and they've got oxygen on and all these things, and you can just tell they've just been battered and and put through the the ringer and stuff, but are running around and playing and enjoying and you know playing in the Lego room and looking at the fish tank and you know, going up and down your slide, which is I think like the the the biggest thing is Ron McDonald House BC and Yukon the only Ron McDonald House with a slide, or is other houses starting to take that on now?

SPEAKER_02

I don't know of any other houses that have a slide in them yet. Um, but uh they will because uh when other uh uh staff from other houses around the world uh um come and tour the house, uh they really do everyone goes down the slide. It's uh such a hit. And so as we're uh developing the the second house that we're gonna build, uh we've got a couple of slides in the house as well with uh some different shapes and some real uh some real fun there too.

SPEAKER_01

And we're gonna get to the new house and we're gonna talk about everything there. Um and before we get there, your office and your probably a majority of your time away from your family, and and you know, I know you put in a lot of hours and a lot of time into the house. What is what is something that like you carry every day that makes your job difficult?

SPEAKER_02

Uh I think the most difficult part on the human side is uh there are so many families that stay in the house and for so long that uh, you know, with the office in the house, I come in, get coffee, I wander through, I play ping pong, I'll shoot baskets, you know, those kinds of things. And um and do that with some family members, some of the kids. And so you get to know uh their stories. Um it's their story to tell, so I'm not uh uh prying, uh, but you do get to know the families. And I think that one of the most challenging things is just the fact that um they're going through such a horrible roller coaster of emotion and experience because uh um sometimes they'll say, Oh, you know, the counts are up, we get to go home for a week and uh or two, or things are good, and then the counts come back down, and then uh uh they're crushed again, and they have to put uh, you know, another two, three months uh where they know they're gonna be in treatment again before they have that other hope. So I think seeing those families go through that is really the most challenging thing that uh that I experience on a day-to-day, other than the challenges of raising the funds and doing all those other pieces. Yeah. Um what's your favorite part of the house? Well, the music room, I've got to go there. Um it's uh something that uh the the room was used for something else originally in the music program we had uh in a multi-use room. And um because I like music so much, then uh being able to uh create the music room and decorate it and uh buy all the equipment or get the equipment donated and work on that. Um it that was a lot of fun. So that's that's I think my favorite part of the house. Um I'm also very fond of one of the play areas uh uh that has a ping pong table currently. Um so uh um we had a tournament a little while ago just for fun, and uh so we play ping pong a couple times a week. And uh but that sounds like um a recreation center to some degree, but it really is a rumpus room in a house. And so it's it's trying to create as much normalcy for the families as as humanly possible, and that means doing things on a day-to-day basis that they would do in their homes and have at their homes. So uh uh those are things that I enjoy.

SPEAKER_01

When you sit down with your teams and you guys have to talk about grief sometimes. And I think it's really important and really great that you have spearheaded that and and that grief comes up. It doesn't just get pushed down and and buried. Um, how impactful is that for your team and and how do how do you and your team collectively go through that part? Because, you know, unfortunately, not all kids do go home. That's true.

SPEAKER_02

Um we own it, you know. I think it's something that uh we recognize right from the initial interview processes and uh uh we have regular training sessions on grief, but also we we don't shy away from talking about it. Um you know, on different people will have different interactions with the different families on different days. So I may not know what's going on with that family over there and that kind of thing. And so um, again, it's their story to tell, but when there is that grief, we talk about it with the staff and uh and help them because they're experiencing it as well as you know, a be through osmosis for what the families are going through. So um we want to recognize that and we want to have as much fun at work as possible to balance that, uh, but to create a positive energy uh around the house and uh that helps us deal with that grief. But some days it's tougher than others, uh, depending on uh what you're interacting with. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What has been the toughest day at the house for you?

SPEAKER_02

Ooh, um one of the most unique things uh at the original house um was uh there was a young girl that was waiting for a heart transplant. And uh she was getting closer and closer to the time uh with her her parents and sibling that were there to when it was going to be too late to get a heart. And uh so one day um uh they got the phone call and uh they were just so joyous that there was a heart and they were they were going over to the hospital for the operation, that kind of thing. And the converse side of that was somebody passed away uh to provide that heart. And that juxtaposition really was something that shook me at that moment because uh it's you've got the joy on one side, and then you just don't know what other sadness has happened on that other side to be able to provide for that gift. So it's a it's a unique position to be in sometimes.

SPEAKER_01

Through this whole 20 years of you know, diving into something that was a bit different than what you've had done in the past, somewhat. Yeah, what what is the best advice you've gotten?

SPEAKER_02

Wow, the best advice I um would be I think uh years ago uh there was somebody that suggested to try different things and uh so you know make a make a new mistake each day kind of a thing as opposed to the same mistake over. Um but uh one of the things for Ronald McDonald House is uh I've really enjoyed uh visiting the other houses and getting a sense of what I think works and doesn't work, and then trying to stand on those other uh experiential shoulders and create something that's uh uh unique to uh the the house here in British Columbia and uh and be able to serve in ways. And so um that creativity, be creative, uh look for other solutions. I think that was that was a really good uh uh and don't be afraid to you know try different things.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and what it was something on that best advice you've got and you've taken that you've been able to implement that you were like, yes, that was exactly how that was supposed to land. That's that's how I just described it in my own head, and yeah, I was able to do it and and this was the outcome.

SPEAKER_02

I think one of the things is is the current house that we're in. Um when uh we did the RFP for architects, you know, a lot of architects wanted to to uh work with us and to create the house. And uh working with Michael Green um and listening to him and his understanding of who we were organizationally, uh, it was just um like I feel for you too. You know, you get it. And uh he got it. And so one of the things that uh he was new at the time was heavy timber construction, and of course, I didn't. Know a whole lot about construction in the first place. But uh listening to um him and heavy timber, so they're at the time uh the costs have balanced out now, but uh heavy timber was more expensive than a concrete uh uh supporting structure. And um, but the warmth of it, the carbon neutralness of it, um, the home-like feel uh that the families would get from the health perspective uh and those things, uh I felt very much so that we had to go with it. And uh and uh I just would never look back now. And the the next house that we haven't talked about yet uh will be a heavy timber house as well. Well that was my next question.

SPEAKER_01

See, speaking of speaking of heavy timber, um and the new house and you know, the numbers are the numbers. I mean, the house has to turn away set 700 families a year. Yeah. And, you know, for those listening and you know, understanding what our podcast does in part to help charities grow and help support Ron McDonald House as this episode in this month will support, and has been actually since the start of the podcast, yeah, um, you know, is able to support what they're building. And so give the people listening and watching um an idea as to what the new house is and and what uh what's what's the most special part about the new house so far for you?

SPEAKER_02

So let's see. So in 2006, as I started uh at Rawl McDonald House, you know, 13 families at a time, two and a half staff, um we uh built the new house and opened it in 2014, um, serving 73 families at a time. Honestly, when we did that, I thought I was done as far as development went, other than family rooms around the province. But uh what we found in the last 12 years of operation in the current house is that as beautiful as it is with the uh studio style rooms and the long stay families, that um it's not as great as it could be for those long stay families. So even if it's just one child and a parent, you know, how does that parent at night um watch TV or have a phone call, a cry, a relationship? You know, it's really challenging. And um so the that in addition to turning away uh oh, but you know, 700 families a year, and those are the ones we know of, because once the social workers know we're full, then they'll look for some other opportunity. Um so the new house then was uh is going to be uh for another 75 families, uh, and it's going to have studio style one and two bedroom, fully contained suites as well, so that a family uh can close some doors, can isolate the child after a bone transplant, for example, to try to control the environment as much as possible. And um, and yet it's going to have all the different features that uh and services that Ronald McDonald House has, which is so many programs for the kids and the parents, um, and uh of course slides, outdoor space, uh communal space, uh um that type of thing.

SPEAKER_01

So one thing for those listening and watching imagine being in a place where your kid is in and out of cancer treatment, you're there with your significant other, and you don't have a safe place to hold one another and cry and like let those feelings out. And I just want you to understand how important that is because we as humans, we need that person beside us, we need the family, we need the space. And I think that is the n to me the biggest thing for the new house is to have a separate room where you can, you know, get away from put something on the TV for the kids that are in the room and and like go and have that time because you know, even just speaking to the few families that I have on the podcast already, uh every one of them was like, There's no crying in the room, there's no crying in front of the kids, we need to be strong, we need to be this, we need to be that. Absolutely. Which is a hundred percent what needs to happen. But you need to take care of yourself as a parent in that situation. And I think that is what is gonna be so special about this house is for the long stay families that can have that time as a husband and wife to really try to connect, try to be there for one another and console one another.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I think that's absolutely the nail on the head, you know. The the families need to have the a normal environment as much as they can. Um and uh when uh the siblings or the sick child is watching the parents uh, you know, uh try to be strong, they know that there's that pressure anyway. And uh um it just adds to the extra anxieties that everyone would have without having the opportunity to just take a breather and get out of that environment for a bit and get your game face back on.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um the new building is a 12-story timber building, yeah, which is gonna be the largest timber building in Western Canada or BC?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, in it in a seismic, uh, an active seismic zone. Okay. Uh yes. And uh and that will probably be disputed any moment soon as other things get built. But yes, that's uh uh heavy timber again, and for all the reasons I I I shared earlier.

SPEAKER_01

Is there going to be a space built in the house that is a space that we don't have in the current house? Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Uh there are going to be a variety of different spaces in the house, uh, a healing center, uh, a smudging space um as well. Uh so those two pieces, uh, you know, we have people from all different cultures, and uh and um we want to be able to provide spaces so that they feel comfortable in the house. Um and a lot of people come from some very small communities, and so we want to have large spaces uh that can be quite collected, and then some small spaces so you can get in and out of space as well. And uh um there will also be uh a larger kitchen uh for our family dinner program. Uh so uh we're referring to it as the chef's kitchen. Uh it's not a commercial kitchen, but uh it's going to uh allow the groups that do come and cook for families to uh work with our chef and uh to have uh uh an ability to uh really have a good um team building experience and knowing that they're serving the families, uh, be connected to Rawl McDonald House. So those are some really great spaces. And one of the most exciting spaces is going to be the rooftop. Uh so uh on the roof of the 12-story building, looking out over the lions and the North Shore will be uh a great uh meeting room. Uh families can uh uh be up and use it, a pa barbecues outside, an outdoor space as well. It's partially covered because it does rain in Vancouver occasionally. And uh so those families are going to be able to have a really nice space where they can really relax and uh and enjoy just uh seeing nature.

SPEAKER_01

Very cool. Yeah. Um, just a painted little picture for people listening as well, is the house currently has three different kitchens. Yeah, four, four different kitchens, and they're all in different kinds of wings. And then there's a main living area in the middle. And the neat thing about being there, um, we have been there when there's uh businesses will come in, they'll buy all the food, they'll do everything, and they'll come and cook for families. Um Is there something you'd want to say to someone who because I always say that a donation or you know, supporting a charity isn't always just writing a check. Right. That there's just we need volunteers, we need people to help, we need people to make a difference, and and the more the better, the the bigger the army, the more we can accomplish and things like that. Um what would you say to a business or someone listening that has a business that that can come help the house and by by cooking, how does that process work?

SPEAKER_02

Um the process really is is, I think, amazing for the the companies, businesses that would bring a team to do that. Um, you know, I can speak about Rawl McDonald House at an event or even have a family speak and tell that story. But once you come into the house like you have, and you experience the families in their natural living environment and kids coming down the slide and families cooking in the kitchen and um having good and bad days, but all collectively, as as a as a business coming into uh and a team coming in to cook, um share that experience with the families, it really connects them to what we do. And uh um, you know, it's not just one diagnosis, it's any sick child. And I think uh that's one of the most amazing things is people relate to children. And so that sick child, they can just, you know, c wrap their arms around them uh emotionally and and try to support the family and support that child. So I think it's really something.

SPEAKER_01

And how does a business get in touch to do something like that?

SPEAKER_02

Uh all they have to do is go to our website, and uh we've got the website uh is the collector to uh everything, uh whether it's a donation to support uh annual uh activities, to uh sign up for a golf tournament or a gala, uh, but also the cooking program, um the uh family dinner program, it's called. And uh uh so yeah, they just go in, uh our staff works with them, uh the menu is set, uh, a small donation um covers the food. Uh uh and then uh when the the groups come in, uh they cook with Chef Gabe and uh um all that uh material then uh is possible for the support to the families. Yeah, it's really something.

SPEAKER_01

It's a lot of fun. Totally. I it's always something I try to I've always wanted to do that with our team too, is come down there and we've done the Christmas tree and we've done, you know, we've done that stuff, but that's next on my list is to come down with the group and do the dinner.

SPEAKER_02

Sounds great. One of the things that I uh every every group does afterwards, uh, of course, have a tour of the house, but yeah, it's so fun to watch them all come down the slide and they have the videos and they're uh everybody uses the slide. Yeah. I've definitely been in the slide a few times.

SPEAKER_01

Um you've built uh one of the most award-winning Ronald McDonald houses in the world. Yeah. Um what did the current house teach you about building the new one?

SPEAKER_02

Uh it taught me to listen to families. When we built this current house, we spent a lot of time uh interviewing families uh over the years that had stayed, and we're currently staying at the Ronald McDonald House and said, you know, what what's important to you? And when you mentioned the four kitchens and the four pavilions or four houses interconnected by common space, that design actually came from uh listening to the families. Um, with the house, the original house being at 13 families. We had so many families that say, Wow, I don't know how big it's gonna be, but how are you gonna keep us safe? You know, disinfectant protocols and those kind of things with that volume of people. And so we built the four pavilions and interconnected, and about 18 to 20 families in each is kind of how it lays out. Oh, so they said, Well, we understand that. So they felt more comfortable with that. Um, and uh so that has been really something, and that's taught us about uh how to break up the spaces, uh, even uh if the new house has a taller tower, so to speak, because it's a smaller footprint, but how to break up the house into those different spaces so that it really um serves all the different uh pockets of people and families and interests as well as best we can. I'm very excited to see it. Yeah. How do you picture opening day looking like? Ooh, uh opening day is gonna be a joyous day. Uh it could be as early as uh just before Christmas of 2028. Um and uh to be able to open the doors and have uh families from the current house, uh the donors, uh, just to have people walk through those doors and into the expanse of the uh the grand living room and uh those uh other areas that I've mentioned. Uh it's uh it's gonna really be wonderful because I know how many families we turn away. And uh that's just gonna be a joyous day because I know that we're gonna be able to serve more families and serve more families better.

SPEAKER_01

Even just you explaining the opening data that gives me like uh glossy eyes and everything else. How do you stay because of the role you have, yeah, how do you stay emotionally like status quo as best you can?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I I think it's uh positive optimism, you know. Um it's uh there's a challenging task to accomplish of raising a hundred million dollars uh to build the house, uh, which doesn't include the 20 million we spent on the land. Um so that context in itself is is daunting. Um, but uh uh it's it's a challenge that needs to be successful. And I think uh when I talk to you, when I talk to other donors, when I talk to just the general public about why we're doing it, uh and the support that they recognize and the understanding that they have that this is going to serve so many more families, that positivism just keeps me going, I think, and uh uh keeps me, well, I don't know if I'm balanced or not, but uh but but keeps me uh uh day to day waking up and going, all right, let's get at it today and uh we're gonna accomplish more and get closer.

SPEAKER_01

You say a hundred million on the build, and I I would think a lot of people would go, wow, yeah, that's expensive for for that many rooms. Yep. But if we could just for a moment just dive into like how those how it becomes so much so expensive because you know you touched on it a little bit that the air systems need to be purified and each room needs to be their own. Like this isn't just a hotel. No, absolutely by any means. If if you could just shed a little bit more light on that, that'd be awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Uh this is a health facility. And uh it it's a place where families live uh for, as I've said, sometimes up to three years. And um so in that health facility and listening to families, uh, you're right. We do have uh every um family space has its own independent air intake and filtration system. Uh because uh after a transplant, for example, then any uh any germ is a life-threatening germ to a child with no immune system. And so uh having that in itself cost is enormous. Um, but it's also the other uh the accessibility features and uh some of the special um rooms and activity uh spaces that provide supports to the families are absolutely uh so expensive to uh to build, but necessary to build because we're about keeping those families safe. And um, especially after COVID, uh medical systems seem to change. So you used to, you know, the child would be in hospital for quite a while. And now uh the doctors and the hospital want uh uh the families to be close with the child and as often as possible come back and forth to the house so that they can serve more children and keep them close to monitor and those kind of things. And so making sure that the house has all those systems in place and supports in place is it definitely adds to the cost. And then, of course, the footprint as well and the uh just the uh environment of uh tariffs and the other political things that are going on or have costs up as well.

SPEAKER_01

Since you said political, uh the federal government has committed $18.8 million on this endeavor. Um private donors have pledged millions more. Um and our province still hasn't. Yeah. Um you've asked for 40 million, and what seems to be the holdup in the province of British Columbia for this?

SPEAKER_02

I think the uh uh I'll give a little history on that um and then uh get to the the answer. The um uh when we built the current house, the the government at the time uh invested uh half of the construction cost, um, of course, recognizing that uh uh we were a support, uh the only real support to the healthcare system for families in uh and uh in the ways that we uh serve families in a place to stay and the other services and close to the hospital. Um and so we uh we asked uh the government, the current government, for um just done just under $40 million because that uh is uh the half of the construction cost. Um and so um that's been the ask, but the the political environment is quite challenging with the deficit. And so uh uh with all the uh um the politicians we've talked to uh the in the government, um, they've all been very supportive so far with we understand what you do and we really appreciate what you do and we want to support you. However, uh there is uh $13 billion deficit, and uh so the times are really challenging. Uh just a week and a half, two weeks ago, um I was able to uh get in to see the uh Minister of Health, and um it was uh a wonderful meeting. She was very positive. Uh again, uh saying, you know, how she was looking forward to being a support to the project and that she would make a recommendation uh to the uh uh Minister of Finance uh for support. Uh but uh I don't get the sense that uh the 39.5 million we asked for is going to be the number that is going to be uh provided uh when they do make a decision. And still there isn't a decision, so I'm still optimistic uh that that decision will come soon because um the time is ticking. The uh $18 million that we got uh from the federal government is part of a green initiatives grant and uh needs to be spent and used by 2029. So we're in a crunch time to uh start the project in September and um and then uh have it have it completed to be able to continue to receive those funds. And then the other piece for a very long answer is um that uh you know, with the investment from the province coming in, then uh that has other uh philanthropists uh uh tied to it as well. So when the province is in, we've got uh uh a lot of money that uh it will be donated right away because those philanthropists are asked for millions every day, and uh they feel that it's not up to them to solely fund uh a health service uh facility. And so uh once the uh province comes uh and invests, then uh we'll be off and running and our timeline will will work and we'll be able to break ground in the fall.

SPEAKER_01

What would you say to our premier and finance minister? Um and I'll say this like if we're waiting for the province to support it, for donors to support something because they want to support they exactly to your point, they don't want to support something all on their own. They pay taxes, they pay a lot of taxes, and I I understand where they're coming from. Yeah. So if I can say anything to our premier, is let's get this done so we can get the rest of this funding and make sure families in BC have a place to go in the worst time of their life. Absolutely. What was what would be one thing that you would want to say?

SPEAKER_02

Well, you know, the support, uh the support and the investment is in the people and families of British Columbia. You know, the the investment is not in Ronald McDonald House, it's supporting those families. And uh with the uh the healthcare the systems the way they are now and the services and the challenges that the government has, this is not an ongoing uh cost to them. This is a one-time uh investment. And we look after all the rest of the other costs uh for years and years to come. And I think the other piece of that is this is a one-time opportunity. There is no more land around uh um the hospital that's close. And so uh if we uh have to uh shrink the project, heaven forbid, to serve less families because we don't have the funds, uh, then that's going to be the size of the organization indefinitely because there is no more space and you do have to be close. So I think the real um message is we need to do this now, and there is an urgency. And uh this is also a great opportunity to show the province of British Columbia and and Yukon as well that uh uh families and children are the priority in health.

SPEAKER_01

Yukon territory has supported the government. Yes. Yeah, yeah, they've submitted. You know, we've got the federal government, we've got the Yukon, we're just waiting for BC.

SPEAKER_02

And we've got the city too. You know, the actual uh zoning uh is uh uh only uh zoned to six floors. So they've uh expanded that. Uh they've waived their uh city taxes for us because they recognize that uh uh building this uh takes the pressure, some pressure of the long stay rentals uh off the city of Vancouver because those families are going to have a place to stay. So uh we've got everybody in uh and we just need one more player.

SPEAKER_01

One thing that I've learned speaking to so many families from McDonald House has always been if they didn't have the house. They would have lost everything. Yeah. And it it's just it's unfathomable to think that our province isn't supporting something at this magnitude. Like what are they supposed to do? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You know, that's that's true. Uh families over the years have stayed in cars, um bunked in with other people. You know, at the hospital, uh, one parent uh can be in the room with a child. So then that separates the family, though. So it really is a breakdown of the family component uh without having the support for the Roll McDonald House, because the whole point is to keep families close in their time of need and keep families together, help their child heal.

SPEAKER_01

So it's a definite need. And I think for those listening who have spent time in hospitals beside a loved one, it's a fold-out couch. Yeah, yeah. So like you're you're not living there for three years. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And where you even get a shower or, you know, get food, those kind of things. It's it's not an environment that is healthy. So uh uh for that person and for them.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, think about it. It would be with you know, food going to get takeout, you're not cooking. Yep. Um, you're thirty dollars a meal for one person. That's right. You know, that's and three times a day or twice a day. Yeah. Whatever. I mean, and and over multiple times. And and hotels now were just, you know, five hundred dollars a night. True. It's it's serious. And plus you're you're away from your business, you're you're away from work, you're you have no income. And I think it's important that a husband and wife of the child are there supporting and the brother and sister, and the house gives it that. Yeah. Right? It it's not one person that goes down. I mean, there is times where people are going to be traveling back and forth and you know, have to go to a job or have to check on their house or all of these things that happen. And, you know, thankfully it's not, you know, a mass amount of people that are using the house, it's still a lot, but you know, it's it it shouldn't be that a child gets sick and the family loses everything. Right. I just think that is so unfair, and it should it shouldn't even be something we are needing to talk about, to be honest.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. No, I I agree. The uh the amount of people that I've met over the years that uh, you know, had a business and uh closed the business so that they could uh come down and be with the family, um uh left their jobs, teachers that, you know, aren't teaching, and so that their income has completely shrunk. And so, you know, like you say, to stay in a hotel, and even if the hotel was relatively inexpensive, you know, the closest one is, you know, a half hour car ride away kind of a thing, you know. So you're not close to your family. How do you go back and forth? Because you want to go back and forth multiple times and be there. And those costs are just astronomical. So so we've we've got to build uh this this new house and we've got to increase uh from the 73 families up to 150 and uh and just as soon as possible.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I know we will all find a way to do it, and you know, those listening as well. And um, I want to be able to have Richard, you know, say, is there a way people listening can support and can you know lobby their their need and their want for this house to get built to our province, to the people in their in their in their cities? Um and like what what can an individual do right now other than volunteering, writing a check, but how can they push the the province to do something?

SPEAKER_02

I think uh, you know, we've got uh like I said, we had a a good uh visit with the health minister, so I think there's some positivism there. But I think uh, you know, every community has their MLA, um uh letting their MLA know that uh supporting the Royal McDonald House supports uh families in their own community and uh uh letting them know that it's absolutely necessary and critical, and there's a time component here. So it's got to be uh an immediate investment uh to be able to serve and to keep the size of families or the size of the house to serve as many families as possible uh as soon as possible. So they could do that as well.

SPEAKER_01

We'll put some links in the description as well and and make sure that it's easy for people to kind of find that direction and um find the website in the house and you know, also too on augustafterdark.com. We've got uh a place where people can go and and donate towards the house and wonderful, thank you and help as much as we can. So if we can spread the word, spread this conversation, um, and all understand how really important this is for our province. Absolutely for our kids. This is the next generation. This these are the kids that are gonna be looking after you. That's right. These are these are people that need help today, and I and I don't think there, you know, is any more of a need than than right now. We we can't turn away 700 families a year.

SPEAKER_02

No, no, it it really is uh a travesty to to have to turn those families away. And you're right, the it's it's about the children and it's about uh serving those families and it's serving them now as soon as possible.

SPEAKER_01

And I've seen just through the dream rally, obviously, you know, we have a lot of kids come from house and and have had uh long stays and long experiences and and ups and downs and gigantic roller coasters as families. And, you know, like my first co-pilot, Joseph, he was at the house for a hundred and hundred and fifty, like almost a year. Yeah, you know, he still goes back down for checkups and everything else, but you know, he's become this like strong, amazing kid that is is getting into mechanics and we have him doing stuff around here. He supports, he he became the one of the first co-pilots with me, yeah, and now is volunteering to help support other kids in Dream Rally and everything else. So the the wheel that this turns is a lot, the magnitude of it is a lot bigger than what I think most people listening would understand.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think so too. And and you know, you're right that with the Dream Rally, the support and the engagement of uh the community in general, but serving all those the co-pilots and to be a part of that uh experience. Um, and then of course raising funds to support too, it's it's enormous. But uh it's the connection, you know, when you actually connect to somebody, uh, just like when you come to the house for a tour or you come and cook a meal, you know, you really do see wow, these families are going through something that hopefully you and your family never have to go through. And so being able to support that and know that uh you're there in their time of need, I think is really a gift.

SPEAKER_01

And I'll I'll just share a few things on Dream Rally as it is coming up really close. Yep. Uh so July 25th, um, here in Kelowna, BC. And uh if you're listening and have a you know a car where you pull into a gas station or where you're in a parking lot and you know the kids come up and they're like, oh my god, that's such a cool car. And it doesn't have to be something crazy. I mean, it's just something that really excites a kid. Yeah. But uh you can go on our website, OkanaganDreamRally.com, sign up to drive your car. It's uh it's a fairly nominal fee to to get signed up as a driver, but I can tell you from experience of my own and other drivers, um it's not what you expect. Like you're not just going out and driving a car. No, you you get to meet a kid who has been through hell and back. Yep. And and their family and everything else, and you build this connection that you don't really think you're gonna get when you s when you sign up for something like this. And uh, you know, just some of the stories have been just so cool to watch, you know, a a a kid get invited to the the driver's kids' birthday parties or out on their boat, or you know, trying to like really and bring them into their family and and put them under their wing as best they can and help support where they can. And um it just it's this it's that wave of you know doing good. Yeah. And it's a lot what we try to talk about in the podcast too, is just be a good person, you know, do something without looking for something in return always. Yeah, and that's what this does. You're you're driving something, you drive every day, and everything else, but that day gives kids hope. And I, you know, there's been many kids that have been in the rally that their goal is to survive to the next dream rally. That's it. Yeah. And if we can give as many kids that possibility, you know, if it's mental health, if it's cancer, if it's a diagnosis that isn't, you know, isn't something that is easy to come out of, that gives them that ability to push forward for one single day. Yeah. That is what you're doing that day, and that is the that is the whole reason why we did this. And, you know, obviously we would like to raise as much money as we can to help support the new house and and and and everything like that, but it's that little glimmer that the kids get after that day.

SPEAKER_02

It's true. It's it's it's a day of joy. And, you know, the smiles on those kids' faces and their parents, because of the excitement and something that they get to share and uh and they get to brag about um that they were a part of. It it's really such a special thing.

SPEAKER_01

As we take our last lap, yeah, um I just want to again thank you for I want to thank you on behalf of all our families in British Columbia for building and having the vision that you've had in building what has been built today. Yeah. And you're about to, you know, level up the game even more with with the next house. Um I think you deserve a standing ovation, um, high fives from all these families because without your vision, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation today. So I want to say thank you before I get to the last question, and and uh you've opened my eyes up to you know what giving means and and the impact that it makes. Um and you see it in the house um every day. Every day. It's it's very kind, Matt. What would you say to a parent sitting in a hospital room today, getting the news that their kid is going to be put in a helicopter, put in an airplane, and flown to BC Children's Hospital? What would you say to them at this exact second?

SPEAKER_02

We're there when you arrive, and uh we will support you in the best way we possibly can as you go through this tragic time and this terrible time, and uh we're gonna give you the support and the care that we can.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you. And thank you again for for spending the time with me. Uh Richard Fu, all the way up here from Vancouver for this. So um obviously I I appreciate uh all the time we get to spend and and it's always good seeing you. And uh thank you so much again for doing what you do and and being here today.

SPEAKER_02

Well, thank you, Matt, for the opportunity to chat and uh for your support. And uh I can't wait for the dream wallet. It's gonna be a great, a great weekend.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you.