The Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill has been awarded a $20,000 grant from Lehigh Hanson to support the House’s Cornerstone Project, an ongoing effort to maintain excellent facilities in support of families with a child facing medical crisis.

The Lehigh Hanson Cares program grant will allow the House to begin necessary repairs following failures in the HVAC system,

plumbing and outdoor water drainage systems—repairs that fall outside of the scope of the organization’s normal fundraising efforts.

“Lehigh Hanson recognizes the value that the dedicated staff Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill brings to our community,” said the grantor. “Their efforts to  provide a clean, stable, safe environment for families of children battling serious illness is an essential community service and we are proud to offer our support to this organization.”

“We are so grateful for the generous support from Lehigh Hanson,” said Heather Shanahan, RMHCH Executive Director.” From helping us literally dig trenches at the House, to awarding much needed funding, we are very thankful for this partnership.”

These unforeseen facility failures reduced the House’s capacity from 53 to 43 rooms. The Cornerstone Project will ensure that the House can continue to provide all the comforts of home, just one mile from world-class medical care at UNC Hospitals.

This grant will support families from across North Carolina and beyond by providing a safe and comfortable environment for families who must travel to the area for specialized and/or emergency medical care. In 2018 alone, families traveled to Chapel Hill from 78 NC counties, 14 other states and 3 other countries. In total, the House provided 11,794 nights of lodging to more than 1,000 families.

In addition to grant support, Lehigh Hanson also facilitated a large maintenance project in partnership with Sullivan Eastern, Erosion Supply Company and Core & Main to mitigate draining challenges at the House.  We are so thankful for the community effort to keep our House in tip-top shape for all of our families.

Lehigh Hanson Cares—Lehigh Hanson and its affiliated companies work diligently to fulfill the vision of Simple Actions Build Strong Communities by supporting initiatives in local communities. The Lehigh Hanson Cares program was established to form a structured and cohesive platform to drive community engagement across business lines, while also promoting and supporting employees who donate time and monies to non-profit, charitable organizations.

The Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill provides a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously ill or injured children who must travel from across North Carolina and beyond for specialized medical care at area hospitals. Since opening in April 1988, the House has served more than 40,000 families.