Group of staff with Ronald

RMHC Bay Area Awarded Service Medal

Community leaders shine a spotlight on RMHC Bay Area and other COVID-19 frontline organizations

On December 14, 2020, Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area was humbled to be among an inspiring list of people and organizations across Santa Clara County who were recognized for their outstanding service on the frontlines of the local pandemic response and efforts to build community resiliency during a year of profound trauma, loss, violence, and unrest.

RMHC Bay Area’s Medal for Outstanding Service came from Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, in an announcement that read:

This has been a year of tremendous struggle for all of us living in Santa Clara County. The human cost of COVID-19 has been enormous, with more than 500 lives lost and a staggering amount of sorrow and suffering. However, during this crisis our community has come together like never before thanks to the work of people such as (Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area).  We are delighted to let you know that Supervisor Simitian has chosen to award your organization with the Service Medal in honor of the efforts made to serve Santa Clara County residents with such dedication and commitment during this pandemic.

“The stories in the applications were amazing, hopeful — and heart wrenching — and restored my faith in humanity… The people who are getting these medals are the ones who are going to take us through. They are going to lead our communities and continue to lead our communities through these difficult times,” said Nicole Taylor, CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), who served on the Board of Supervisors’ president’s service awards selection committee.

RMHC Bay Area’s COVID-19 relief efforts in 2020 were bolstered by a $50,000 grant from SVCF’s emergency COVID-19 relief fund as well as 19 individual SVCF donors who directed more than $200,000 in additional emergency funds from their personal donor-advised funds to house and feed families during the pandemic.

You can hear a recording of Supervisor Simitian’s service award remarks, which focus on building resiliency through crisis — an enduring objective of RMHC Bay Area’s essential wraparound services for families with critically ill children.

This recognition reflects the hard work, talents and dedication of RMHC Bay Area’s frontline heroes who show up 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide housing, meals and support to families — efforts that rely on an entire community of people and organizations who are committed to ensuring that critically ill children have access to lifesaving medical care; essential meal, housing and support services; and the healing power of family during medical crisis.

“It’s been amazing to watch and witness and help garner resources for many, many, many of the organizations and people who (were awarded service medals),” Taylor said. RMHC Bay Area is grateful to be recognized alongside side and supported by such a generous, forward-thinking, and community-centered group of awardees, civic leaders and mission partners.

— Story by Nicole Frances Williams, associate director, foundation relations and communications