McDonald Family Room construction under way

Thanks in part to the successful Ronald McDonald House gala, construction of a Ronald McDonald Family Room is now under way at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune. According to Ed Richards, Oceanport, Ronald McDonald House operations vice chair, construction of the 1,000-square-foot facility has already begun at Jersey Shore’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

"We are proud and pleased to be able to enhance the vital services of the Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch by building a Ronald McDonald Family Room at Jersey Shore Medical Center, and we hope to complete the facility by mid-July," said Richards.

The room, only one of five such facilities on the East Coast, will feature a television room, kitchen galley area, computer room, "quiet" room, a general sitting area and complete ADA compliant bathroom.

"Joanne George, owner/operator of McDonald’s in Long Branch, and Carol Usher, both members of the board of trustees, are diligently working with Kat Larson and Tracy Eith of Imagine-That-Interiors of Red Bank, who are volunteering their design expertise to the project. Also, Todd Katz of Siperstein’s has graciously offered to help by providing wall coverings as well as assistance in expediting materials," said Richards.

The Ronald McDonald House contributed 100 percent of the costs associated with the family room including construction and furnishings.

Ronald McDonald House, Long Branch, was begun in 1987 as a home away from home for families of seriously ill children undergoing medical treatment. More than 1,900 families stayed at the house since its opening.