The TADA Gift of Life wing at Ronald McDonald House opened in November.
Seriously ill children from across Canada who need treatment have two million more reasons to smile now that the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) Gift of Life Wing has officially opened in downtown Toronto. A generous donation of $2 million dollars by Toronto area dealers helped build the new wing on the world’s largest Ronald McDonald House that officially opened in November in Toronto.
Spacious, well adorned rooms make stays more pleasant.
The new facility has triple the number of rooms of the old Ronald McDonald House, which means more families can get housing and other assistance while their children receive treatment. The spectacular new facility can provide almost 30,000 nights of family comfort every year and features a common kitchen, spaces for a private school and child‐focused programming. The wing was established specifically in support of organ and tissue donation for children needing transplants.
Susan Gubasta, Mississauga Toyota and Todd Bourgon, TADA Executive Director
Todd Bourgon and Sandy Liguori, TADA President
Belen Croutch, TADA and Janet Fines
Jane Marco, executive director, Ronald McDonald House Toronto
On-site class room helps kids and their siblings keep up with their studies.
“To know the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association played a role in making the new Ronald McDonald House Toronto come to fruition is humbling. It truly is a source of endless pride for myself, and for all TADA members and their staff,” said Sandy Liguori, President Toronto Automobile Dealers Association.
“The Toronto house is one of 12 in Canada,” explained John Davis, the volunteer chairman of the Ronald McDonald House board, in an interview at the TADA preview event held November 10th. “The mission of the House is to service seriously ill children. Our House provides families with accommodations and other aspects of support for whatever time they have to stay in the city while they are supporting their child.”
Davis says the demand is very high in Toronto, partly because of the specialized health services being provided at Toronto Sick Kids Hospital. Davis says the average stay for a family ranges from 50-60 days, and some stay longer than six months. The new facility has longer-term suites for families that are there for a longer period. “This is our opportunity to show the Toronto auto dealers this beautiful facility and show them what we’ve been doing with their money,” says Davis.
The special preview night for TADA members was held before the official opening on Nov. 18, and featured speeches and tours of the facility. The event also featured a touching story told by a mother whose daughter needed a heart transplant. She described the turmoil the illness caused her family, and how the support of the Ronald McDonald House helped them cope. The heartwarming story brought on more than a few tears among the audience of dealers and TADA staff, as the mom, fighting back tears of her own and with her now healthy daughter by her side, talked about their ordeal.
Todd Bourgon, TADA’s executive director said the TADA wanted to do something on a large scale for its 100th anniversary as a way of giving back to the community that had supported their businesses. “The news that Ronald McDonald House Toronto was going to build a new house in our Association’s founding community made sense geographically, but made even more sense when we learned that their need to expand was due to the greater than 70% of families in need they had to turn away due to space constraints. This initiative is by far the largest undertaking in our Association’s 103 year history,” says Bourgon.
“Car dealers have always been generous supporters of their communities. The fact that 340 could come together to support such a worthy cause and establish a wing that will carry their name for the life of the building only shows that even in times of economic uncertainty, dealers really do walk the talk when it comes to giving back to the communities that have supported them.”
For his part, Ron Loveys, President of the Toronto Automobile Dealers Foundation says TADA members can be proud of their efforts. “All members of the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association and their staff can feel proud of our contribution to this outstanding charity. We can all take pride in knowing that families who need support and comfort will be in good hands at Ronald McDonald House Toronto,” said Loveys.
Jane Marco, Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Toronto says the facility draws sick children and their families from across Canada, and also from around the world. She says the organization is truly appreciative of the generosity of Toronto’s dealers. “We were delighted to make the acquaintance of Toronto auto dealers,” says Marco. “Their gift of $2 million dollars is a significant contribution to our project. It’s a $33 million project. We were delighted to recognize them with a wing in this building. It’s called the TADA Gift of Life Wing.
Marco says the demand for accommodation for families across Canada was so great, that at their old facility they had to turn away more than 70 per cent of the families who needed them.
But the support doesn’t have to end now that the facility is open. Bourgon says dealers can still get involved. “I would encourage them to see the house, see how impressive this world class home is and how it is making a difference by taking a personal tour,” says Bourgon.
“Get involved in the house — have a team building event that has your staff going to the home to provide and cook dinner for the families in the home — it is extremely rewarding. Collectively 21,000 employees work within our dealerships — we can continue to make a difference by volunteering our time. Contact the association for more details.”
People across Canada can also help because five cents from every Happy Meal purchase at McDonald’s restaurants goes to Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada.
The modern kitchen lets families eat together and bond with other families too.
Fast Facts:
- Ronald McDonald House Toronto is the largest House of its kind in the world;
- Located at 240 McCaul Street, the House is just steps away from The Hospital for Sick Children and Mount Sinai Hospital;
- In 2009, the Toronto Automobile Dealers Foundation pledged $2 million to the new Ronald McDonald House Toronto – the largest single pledge in the Foundation’s history;
- The Toronto Automobile Dealers Foundation is the charitable arm of the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association.
