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Ronald McDonald House set to open next month in Charleston

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The feeling of being at “home” is the goal of a newly constructed Ronald McDonald House in Charleston scheduled to open in the coming weeks.

“It’s not just a facility. It’s not just a building. It’s a home,” said Dwayne Dickens, executive director of Ronald McDonald House of Southern West Virginia, following a tour of the new place which sits beside the CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital.

Construction got underway in Nov. 2015 with completion set for the second week of September.

Dickens said the biggest advantage to the new house, which will move from the current house in Kanawha City, is the fact that they’re so close to the hospital.

“Families can now walk 200-300 steps to be with their child. At our current location, it’s going to be a 10-15 minute drive, so this is going to be so much easier, so much more efficient for families,” he said.

The building includes three floors. The first floor has a kitchen space with several rooms for educational opportunities. The second floor has 14 guest rooms — which is four more rooms than the Kanawha City facility. A storage unit makes up the third floor.

Walls are soundproof and are painted with fun colors to create a welcoming environment, Dickens said.

“It’s bright. It’s vibrant, but it’s also a space that’s quiet,” he said, especially sitting right next the the Interstate 64, 77-79 interchange.

The new house will be able to serve more than 400 families annually, which is up about 100 families per year compared to the current location.

“When they walk in our volunteers are going to greet them with a smile and it they need someone to talk to, they’re going to be there for that,” Dickens said. “Being able to be in a new house, larger house that’s more efficient, we’re going to be able to serve our mission much better than we currently do.”

The organization has received several donations over the last several months. On Thursday, Columbia Pipeline Group officials toured the building after presenting the Ronald McDonald House with a $165,000.

“We’ve actually raised about $600,000 over the last five years and this year we got to present Dwayne a check for almost $165,000 which is our biggest check presentation to the Ronald McDonald House yet,” said Shawn Patterson, senior vice president of operations for Columbia Pipeline Group and TransCanada.

“I think it’s a beautiful facility,” Patterson said following the tour. “It’s a lot bigger than the old house. I thought the inside was very warm and welcoming.”

The total cost of the project is nearly $3.5 million.





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