Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Gallery (click any photo to view the gallery)

Southside Tech students used ribbon, glitter and markers to make colorful holiday cards for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

When students from Southside Technical Center visited the Ronald McDonald House, they found it warm and inviting – complete with twinkling trees, tiny winter villages and festive wreaths in the common areas. It might not have been a typical school field trip, but for these two dozen teenagers, it was pertinent to their health-care studies.

“We’ve learned about empathy and sympathy,” said Josh Bales, a senior at Bryan Station High School, citing the many young patients and families who can’t make it home this holiday season.

Classmate Steven Moore, who has delivered toys to hospitalized children in the past, agreed.

“Health occupations are not just about fixing somebody, but also about hope and feeling their pain,” said Steven, a junior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

Southside Tech offers two health-care programs: a medical sciences course and a Medicaid nurse aide class. Most of these students are members of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), which came up with the idea of lending a hand at the Ronald McDonald House.

“That’s what it’s about – giving back to the community,” Josh said as classmates cut out snowflakes and folded red and green construction paper into holiday greeting cards for guests at the house, an overnight refuge for families who travel to Lexington for pediatric medical care.

During their Dec. 7 visit, the teens toured the house, cleaned toys and furniture in the game room with Clorox wipes and baked cookies for the families staying there. They also brought along several bags of donated items such as toiletries, DVD movies and Kool-Aid juice boxes.

“We decided to take the students to show them the other side of health care. I want them to see what it would be like if this were your loved one,” said instructor Rena Robinson. “We’ve talked a lot about the personal characteristics of health-care workers and what it’s like to be empathetic and go through the heartache when people are ill.”

“You have to have a heart of compassion and then act on that,” she added.

After their introduction to various allied health occupations, the students move on to clinicals in the spring, when they will shadow local professionals on the job. The visit to the Ronald McDonald House provided a good preview of how to interact with people.

“It’ll help us put ourselves in their position,” said Argelia Fabian, a junior at Dunbar.

She also thought the out-of-town guests would appreciate the students’ homemade holiday cards, adding, “It’s not an expensive gift, but it comes from our heart.”

About the programs at Southside Technical Center:

• Medical Sciences – This class introduces students to career options in a variety of areas such as dental assistant, medical assistant and physical therapy assistant.
• Medicaid Nurse Aide – This course offers professional instruction for those who want to enter the nursing profession and helps them pursue state certification. The training includes field work in hospitals and nursing homes and certification in CPR and first aid.

For more details, visit the Southside Tech site, e-mail the teachers, Rena Robinson (medical sciences) and Anna Jones (nurse aide), or call (859) 381-3603.

About the Ronald McDonald House:

The Ronald McDonald House, which sits in the shadow of Commonwealth Stadium, is set up much like a cozy hotel or a bed and breakfast. It has 20 guest rooms, with four people to a room and a private bath. There’s a commercial kitchen downstairs and other common areas such as the living room, media room and game room.

Families seek refuge there when they have travelled to Lexington in need of medical care for a child (age 21 or younger).  Some stay for one evening, others for several months. Guests are asked to pay $10 per night, but no one is turned away.

“We are a ‘home away from home,’” said Kelly Hamilton, the volunteer and development coordinator.

“We are part of patient’s healing in that we help their families stay as stress-free as possible,” she said. “We are doing the best we can to create a home-like atmosphere.”

Online: Ronald McDonald House

To help: To donate time, goods or money, contact Kelly Hamilton, volunteer and development coordinator for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass, at (859) 368-8437 or e-mail khamilton@rmhclexington.com.