University of Guelph-Humber

Having a child fall sick is the worst fear of many parents. Along with the dread and stress of a diagnosis, the challenge of scheduling batteries of tests, arranging time off work, and even driving to and from the hospital makes a difficult time even worse.

To help families who are dealing with that trying situation, students and faculty from the University of Guelph-Humber’s Early Childhood Studies program took a trip to Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House Charity.

At the Ronald McDonald House, families with children being treated for a serious illness are given a place to stay and are offered support from a team of professionals and volunteers. The Toronto location was the charity’s first house to open in 1981 and is now the largest of their 14 locations across Canada, with room for 81 families to stay each day. 

Emily Danziger, a 4th-year ECS student, is doing her placement at the Ronald McDonald House where she develops programs and activities for the House’s guests. When she saw an opportunity to offer more help, she put out the call to her classmates to see if anyone would come to the House to help cook dinner for the families there.

“People think it must be sad working with these families at such a tough time, but there’s just so much hope and resilience here. They make this place into their home,” Emily says.

With a team of nearly 20 students and ECS’ Program Head and Assistant Program Head, Emily led the group to the House’s kitchen where they set about cooking a dinner from scratch for the many guests that day. After spending the afternoon chopping, stirring and baking, they‘d successfully made a three course meal, with salad, vegetables and baked Mac ‘n’ Cheese.

“The families were so appreciative and they all came up and thanked us after, and their children thanked us too,” Emily says. “You see the families eating together and meeting other families, and you can see bonds being built between them. Building trust like that is huge; it really helps to have another family you can rely on.”

More than just an act of kindness, it was a chance for the students to extend what they’d learnt in the classroom.   

“In class, we teach our students that you’re never just working with a child, you’re also working with their history, their family, and their mental and physical health,” says ECS’ Assistant Program Head, Elena Merenda. “Taking part in this gave students a chance to see the challenges that a family can face and how to support them when they need it.”

Learn more about UofGH’s Early Childhood Studies program.