By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Member of the Hays High School DECA chapter are raising money to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Wichita and will host a day of giving on Thursday.
Each year, for the past 18 years, members of the Hays High DECA Chapter have worked to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Wichita. Juniors Kallie Leiker, Isabelle Braun and Brianna Forinash are leading this year’s project.
Ronald McDonald Houses provide temporary housing and support to families of children who are undergoing medical treatment in Wichita.
As part of the Gifts from the Heart fundraising project Hays High DECA students will be collecting donations on Thursday at both north and south McDonald’s locations in Hays and the Eagle Media Center from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Donations can also be made online through the Ronald McDonald House Charities website at donate.rmhcwichita.org and clicking on the Gifts From the Heart link on the left-hand side.
By donating through the Gifts From the Heart link that count towards the DECA student’s goal.
The students had previously set a goal of $50,000 but have since altered that slightly but Isabelle Braun meeting their goal would be “amazing.”
“Especially since they want to build their new house it would really help them,” Braun said.
Ronald McDonald officials in Wichita are building a new house that will combine two other houses that will be connected to Wesley Medical Center. The project is expected to cost $3.4 million.
A donation of $80 provides a one night stay for a family in the Ronald McDonald House and the money raised by the DECA students helps cover that cost for families who cannot afford to stay in the house.
Hays High DECA students have also took part in several other fundraising efforts including a pull tab competition at Hays Middle School, made tie blankets with Wilson Elementary students and collected donations during the Hays High versus Great Bend football game.
In January the students will travel to Wichita to tour the Ronald McDonald House and deliver the blankets they made and the pull tabs they collected.