Ronald McDonald House Toy Drive

The holidays are a time for giving and for the second year in a row I was honored to assist my friend, Carla Murino, and her son, Vincent, in their Annual Toy Collection for the children of the NYC Ronald McDonald House.

A Ronald McDonald House is a “home-away-from-home” for seriously ill or injured children and their families for little or no cost. Within this house there is a uniting sense of hope, a common search for health and healing, and camaraderie for parents struggling with their child’s diagnosis. These services are provided to families at a nominal fee that is no more than $35.00 per night. The RMH in NYC is self-funded. It is also the largest facility of its type in the world!

Each year since Vincent was born, Carla has celebrated his birthday by collecting toys and bringing them into Manhattan. With the help of my family and friends (shout out to the guys of the SIUH Electric Shop!), I was able to collect several bags of toys to add to Carla’s haul to donate to these brave children. We met at Carla’s house, armed with donuts for Vincent and coffee for ourselves. We played for a bit and then had a mini photo shoot. Vincent only had eyes for his donuts, but that was OK because I was able to get a kiss and a hug from him anyway!

Thank you, Carla, for all that you do - not only for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, but for Staten Island in general. It is always a pleasure to team up with you!