Interview with Brooke Towle from The Ronald McDonald House

​                                                                By The Hampton Herald Staff
 
The Hampton Herald Newspaper staff interviewed Ms. Brooke Towle, the Community Relations Manager at The Ronald McDonald House Charities Maryland.  They had the opportunity to ask her about RMHC, her job there, and the upcoming Red Shoe Shuffle Fundraiser.
 
Why is it called The Ronald McDonald House?
When the first Ronald McDonald House was created, we partnered with McDonalds and he was like our mascot.
 
How old is RMHC?
Our RMHC is relatively new, so it’s only like 5 years old, but we have an older one that was made in the ‘80s
 
How many Ronald McDonald Houses are there?
There are about 250 around the world.
 
How many people can stay there?
We can fit 55 families, but some families have different amounts of people in them.
 
How many floors are there?
There are six floors.
 
What happens if there isn’t enough room?
That happens more often than we’d like.  There are a lot of hotels in Baltimore and our families can stay there at a discount.
 
Is there an age limit for staying?
Yes. You can stay there throughout being 21, but we have had older people come over.
 
Do you know anyone who has stayed at a Ronald McDonald House?
Some of my coworkers have stayed there, and it impacted them so much that they decided to work there for the rest of their lives.
 
Who makes the food?  Do you have the same food all the time or does it change?
So, for some meals in the morning we do like “grab and go” like ramen or bagels, but for dinner we have volunteers make food every single night, and we try to have different things.
 
What types of things do volunteers do?
We have volunteers that make food every day, we have some volunteers who clean, and we also have some volunteers who help at our front desk.  Volunteers also help plan and run our events.
 
What is the magic room?
When kids and their siblings come over, they get to go into the magic room and do a space mission, and at the end they get a super cool toy!
 
Why do you have a bus?
We added the bus so we could take the families to and from the house to the hospital.
 
Are there any ambulances or medical staff at the house in case anyone has an accident?
We don’t have any medical staff, but we are really close to the hospitals in case anyone has an emergency.
 
Why are there rocks by the elevators?
They really are just inspiring messages for families when they are waiting in the elevator.
 
What inspired the giant heart on the roof?
The giant heart on the roof was made because sometimes kids had to stay at the hospital and their families stay here, and the heart was made so kids could look at the heart and say, ‘ooh look that’s where mom and dad are!
 
Were you open during COVID?
Yes, we were open during COVID.  We didn’t have as many people though because lots of surgeries were rescheduled until after COVID.
 
 
Where does the Red Shoe Shuffle take place?
It takes place at The Ronald McDonald House, so the start and finish are right outside our doors.
 
How many shuffles have there been?
This is the 14th Red Shoe Shuffle!
 
Who can participate?
Anybody can participate in the shuffle.  We even have babies in strollers who come!
 
Why does everyone wear striped socks?
If everyone wears red and white at the Shuffle, it looks like a sea of red and white.  Ronald McDonald also wears stiped socks too.
 
How many people can participate?
We are going to cap it at 3,100 people.  We just think that is a reasonable amount to stop registrations.
 
Do other Ronald McDonald Houses do the Red Shoe Shuffle too?
Some of them do 5ks.  Some of them don’t call it “The Red Shoe Shuffle,” but they still do it.
 
How much does it cost to participate?
It costs $65 for adults, and I think it’s either $55 or $45 for kids.
 
What is the fundraising goal this year?
Our goal is $500,000, so half a million dollars.
 
What made you pick $500,000 for the fundraising goal?
I'm not the mastermind behind it, but I know we were beating it by so much that we kept raising it and now we did 450,000 dollars!
 
Does the fundraising goal change?
When we first started it wasn't a lot but when we have been working longer the fundraising goal has been getting bigger and bigger.
 
How many people are on the biggest team?
There’s over a 100 on the biggest team!
 
What does the money go toward?
The money goes toward everything that happens in the building.  We provide diner, for the water, it keeps the lights on.
 
What do you do to prepare for the Shuffle?
We basically start preparing when the last Shuffle ends.  We started working on this one in 2024.  We have people who do things like help plan the course and design the shirts.
 
What other events does RMHC have besides the shuffle?
In September we have a golf tournament, and we also have a Gala in November.
 
What is your job at RMHC?
I am the Community Relations Manager.  I do a lot of different things.  I help a lot with things in our community, like when businesses want to volunteer with us.  At the Shuffle, I help organize the volunteers.
 
How long have you worked there?
I’ve worked there for about two years.
 
What inspired you to work there?
A long time ago I played lacrosse, and my lacrosse coach volunteered there, and that’s what got me thinking about it, and when I graduated, I saw they were hiring, and I was like ‘oh I know them!’ and I started working there.
 
What’s your favorite part of working there?
Honestly, interacting with all the families, and putting a smile on peoples’ faces.
 
 
Do you have a least favorite thing about your job?
Sometimes I have to answer a lot of emails, and I don't like it. I like to be out and about all day, and that’s why I like the red shoe shuffle
 
How many people work at RMHC?
There are about 30 people that work there.
 
What days do you work?
I work Monday through Friday 9:00-5:00.
 
What is your favorite event?
My favorite event is The Red Shoe Shuffle for sure!
 
Do you get to participate in the Shuffle?
No, I don’t get to participate because I am working, but I am there all day.
 
What is something challenging about your job?
It can be sad watching families go through really hard things, but it’s nice to be there just to make their day a little bit better.
 
Do you work on your own or do you work with a team?
I have a team of people I work with.  We have small groups of people and work together a lot.  It’s like little subgroups.