Ronald McDonald House's Executive Officer Rebecca Walsh has offered her heartfelt thanks to the people of Canowindra for their support during Wear Red Day.
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"On behalf of everyone associated with Ronald McDonald House Charities in Orange, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the people of Canowindra and district for their wonderful support of Wear Red Day held recently," Ms Walsh said.
"All funds raised on the day will remain in Orange to support families from the central and far west in their time of need."
Ms Walsh said when RMH Orange opened its doors in April 2015, the first family with premature twins to stay with us was from Canowindra.
"Five years on, the house continues to provide a "home away from home" for families from Canowindra and district," she said.
"To date 14 families from Canowindra have stayed for a total of 89 nights while their child is receiving specialist treatment in Orange."
Wear Red Day began three years ago as an initiative of Principal of Denison College in Bathurst, Ken Barwick who is committed to growing the event year on year, with March 25 set down as the date for next year's event.
"When families arrive at Ronald McDonald House they often do so in an emergency situation, and we are delighted we are able to offer emergency cooked meals, complimentary breakfasts, gifts of new toys, books and activities for the sick child in hospital, along with complimentary toiletries, and pantry items so families can self-cater," Ms Walsh said.
"For mothers of premature or unwell babies who live in Canowindra and have their baby in Orange Hospital, being able to stay in the house which is just a short walk from the hospital, means they don't have to travel back and forth to Canowindra each day.
"Increasingly, due to the centralisation of specialist services, we are accommodating more women from the central and far west identified as experiencing a high-risk pregnancy who need to travel to Orange for consultations and to stay in the weeks leading up to delivery.
"RMH Orange is unique in that it provides accommodation for up to weeks at a time for families who have a child or adolescent experiencing a mental health crisis requiring specialist treatment in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMS) ward located in the general hospital.
"With the exception of two paid employees, the house runs with the dedication of just over 100 volunteers who are part of a 24-hour a day, seven day a week, 365 days a year roster. To date, these volunteers from Orange and district have given more than 60,000 volunteer hours to the house.
"Once again, thank you Canowindra - your donations on Wear Red Day have helped make a beautiful difference in the lives of many families," Ms Walsh said.
