NCVMA Annual Conference

NCVMA's 2008 Annual Symposium & Trade Show!
December 4-5, 2008
Sheraton Hotel, downtown Raleigh NC

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The 2007 Annual Symposium was NCVMA's fourth year supporting the Ronald McDonald House of Durham.  During the 2007 Conference, we raised $1,000 to help support this important work! Additionally, $250.00 was raised for "Cure Search" - a national childhood cancer foundation!

Thanks to everyone who helped make these generous donations possible.

Scenes from our 2007 Annual Conference
(click on the thumbnail for a larger view):

RONALD’S HOUSE

Twenty years ago in this medical mecca, families with sick children in the hospitals had few options. They could stretch their bank accounts even thinner running up high hotel bills, commute for visits if they were lucky enough to live close enough, or stay with friends and family. Others slept in cars and in their children’s rooms. That all changed when the Ronald McDonald House opened on Hawthorne Road in September 1984, part of a trend that began in Philadelphia 10 years before. Families typically make a small donation to stay, but they can stay for free if they can’t afford to donate. In recent years, several local churches have started their own such houses. They’re needed and worthwhile efforts, for the demand for such housing has grown. But there’s nothing like the Ronald McDonald House on Hawthorne, with its trademark model of Ronald sitting on a bench in the back yard. It has lodging for 17 families and a continuous waiting list. It has living rooms, a teen room, a playroom for children and a kitchen. And if its walls could talk… They could tell stories of the 12, 000 families who have passed through. There would be stories of sadness. After Dick and Penny Latham lost their 3-year-old son, Alan, to cancer in 1980, they helped start an effort to honor his memory with a Ronald McDonald House here. The Lathams lived in Burlington and had no place to stay when their son was in the hospital except for his room. They now live here. The walls could also tell stories of comfort. Just ask Kendel Cruz, who stayed at the house about 13 years ago when her daughter Erika was born with heart problems. “It’s a lot like home, and they make you feel at home,” Cruz said last week at a 20th birthday party for the house. “We were from mount Airy, and when she was in intensive care, I couldn’t stay with her. Instead of being an hour away, I could be five minutes away. Erika died this summer, just short of her 14th birthday. The walls could tell stories of hope as well. Just ask Sean and Jennifer Alvarado, area residents who spent time in the house after their son Jared was born prematurely. Jared’s now 3, and he came with his parents to the birthday party for the house. The Hawthorne Road house has had a proud 20 years, doing good for many families and their children. The house here, like the ones nationwide, is an independent non-profit that receives a portion of its operating budget from McDonald’s restaurants, but it also relies heavily on contributions. With continued community support, the next 20 years can be even better. Please support Ronald's House by contributing a nonperishable item.