MPM Marketing Services and its employees support a number of charities, such as the Ronald McDonald House South East Queensland (RMH SEQ). The South Brisbane House – located across the road from the Queensland Children’s Hospital first opened its doors in 2016 to provide support, care and accommodation for families whose babies are born prematurely, or whose children are undergoing treatment.

Moving away from home to care for a newborn or sick child can be difficult and stressful. That is why the RMH SEQ’s team are available to make each stay a little easier. At RMH SEQ, it is important that families have home cooked meals during their stay. The charity opens up the opportunity for corporate or community groups to cook for these families on a weekly basis and also relies upon the community to assist with raising much needed funds to support the ongoing demand for their services.

We caught up with Tamara Angus – Facilities Manager at Ronald McDonald House South East, to discuss their mission and vision for the future.

Profile: Ronald McDonald House South East Queensland
Tamara Angus – Facilities Manager, RMH SEQ

What is the mission(s) of Ronald McDonald House South East Queensland?

To support the ever-changing needs of seriously ill or injured children and their families.

How long has the organisation existed?

Ronald McDonald House South East Queensland has existed for 27 years.

What was your career path that led you to the RMH SEQ?

I have worked with families for over 20 years in charity and not for profits. I started here 7 years ago to support families while they stayed with us. I changed roles and now work in managing and maintaining our facilities and buildings.

Why do you love working for RMH SEQ?

The families! I feel I can make difference to families at a very stressful time in their lives. I have always said I get paid in smiles and if I make one person smile each day I am very rich.

Working for a non-profit can be challenging, especially when it comes to resources. What drives you each day to come up with fresh ideas?

Being able to meet the needs of families is what keeps the innovations flowing. Due to the difficult situations our families are dealing with, we need to make this experience stress free. The team works hard to make resources stretch and donations are our life blood. When the essentials are donated it means we can buy the nice to have things for families.

What achievements are you the most proud of during your time at RMH SEQ?

The partnerships that make a huge impact in a very quiet way. Being able to provide containers for families to take a meal to the bedside of a child, or store a meal for a mum who is taking a quick break away from a child in ICU.  Providing families with experiences and access to events they have never dreamed off.

Castaway® Food Packaging is glad to support the Charity and the RMH SEQ team, thank you for inviting us in today. How long have you been using our products and what do you like about Castaway® products?

I have been with RMH SEQ for 7 years and Castaway products have always been here. For every single Make A Meal dinner there are plates, cups, cutlery and containers. It is a vital part of the dinners and without Castaway we would have had to wash a lot of plates. These donations have been used across all four RMH SEQ sites including Herston, South Brisbane, Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital and the Gold Coast.

Who was your main point of contact and how did they help you?

Warren Finegan has been the RMH SEQ point of contact for a number of years. Warren has been very supportive of the charity and helped us achieve our mission with donations on a regular basis.

What was your favourite part about working with Castaway® / MPM?

Reliability. We have never had to wonder where the next order would come from. We requested goods and they were delivered.

If you were to describe our service in three words, what would they be?

Generous, quality and supportive

Volunteers are at the heart of RMH SEQ. What are the requirements to volunteer? How do I get started? Is there a minimum time commitment?

We depend on our team of dedicated volunteers to help us run our programs and support families going through some of the toughest times. RMH SEQ has a selection of over 30 diverse and rewarding volunteer positions across our programs in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast to suit your interests and meet the needs of seriously ill children and their families. If you’re over 18 years of age, available to commit for 6 or more months and want to volunteer please email volunteering@rmh.org.au or call (07) 3845 1620.

What do you want people to know about the RMH SEQ?

Each day we provide essential accommodation and support services to seriously ill or injured children and their families. To keep the doors open for families to stay together at RMH SEQ, we rely on the generous support of organisations, community groups and individuals. Please visit our website for more information www.rmhc.org.au/seq

What is the next big event to benefit RMH SEQ?

In the coming weeks we’ll be reaching out to the public to help support our Christmas appeal to assist us in raising much needed funds for RMH SEQ. Visit our Facebook page for more information www.facebook.com/RMHSEQ

For more information, visit the Ronald MacDonald House website: www.rmhc.org.au