ACE Cleans Up With Toiletry Donations to Ronald McDonald House Charities

164 toothbrushes. 158 containers of soap and body wash. 88 bottles of lotion.

These essentials are part and parcel of the 715 toiletries ACE has collected in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).

It’s all part of an ongoing campaign led by ACE’s recycling committee, comprised of ACE Human Resources Director and B Corp Benefits Officer KK Byland, Human Resources Coordinator Lauren Anderson, Senior Enrollment Counselor Chanel Sterling, IT Training and Development Specialist Julia Moses and Senior Associate Registrar Joellen Jamerson.

According to Jamerson, the seeds for the campaign were planted after a 2016 volunteer event where ACE staff prepared casseroles for families through the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana.

“When I found out we were volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, I was really excited to support the parents who were going through a hard time in their lives,” she said. “While we were there, the [volunteer resources manager] gave us a little tour, and showed us these mostly babies in neonatal care and explained that the parents never leave them. She said, ‘We do what we can. We have little hotel rooms with a bed and a bathroom area,’ and they create little Ziploc bags with toiletries.”

During a return volunteer trip, when ACE employees packed welcome bags and take-home bags for families, Byland said staff had an epiphany: “We kind of came together and said, ‘This is a need in every Ronald McDonald location. How do we feel about continuing to serve them through donations, and how can we make it work?’”

Then, something clicked.

“We have a real travel initiative across the board where we often have lots of people visiting Indy, lots of people visiting Dallas,” Byland said of the commute between ACE’s two regional offices. “So, if we’re in hotels and not using those items, why not bring them into the office and drop them off? It escalates our giving potential, but it also recycles those items.”

ACE has already completed one drop-off this year and is slated to do another next month. In addition to toiletries, the college has donated more than 20 pounds of pop tops, the proceeds from which are used to fund RMHC chapter needs.

It’s a small stride, but as Rachel Moehle, the marketing associate at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana, explains, every little bit helps.

“The Ronald McDonald House relies on the help of our community in order to help keep our families together and close to the care their children need,” Moehle said.

For those who want to get involved, Moehle suggested “collecting pop tabs, which we recycle and use the funds to help support our families, [or] hosting an event such as a bake sale, 5K, or dance marathon. Other ways to get involved include collecting items for our wish list, preparing a meal, hosting an activity or game night for our families, or making a financial contribution. There is really no shortage of ways that [people] can get involved and we encourage new and creative ideas.”  

Looking for ways to get involved with your local community? Keep up with the ACE blog for a window into what ACE is doing and the community service efforts that keep us motivated.