Wellness Wednesday: Freezin’ for a Reason set for Saturday

VIDEO: One reason for freezin’ – Destiny, 3, and her family have been at Ronald McDonald House for 51 weeks for treatment by David Mercer, M.D., and other UNMC health professionals.

It’s time to get your cold on.

On Saturday, UNMC and the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha will present Freezin’ for a Reason, a skating event held to support the Ronald McDonald House.

Sidebar: Click on the photo to see Destiny’s Ronald McDonald House story.

Freezin’ for a Reason will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UNMC Ice Rink located in the heart of the Ruth and Bill Scott Student Plaza just east of 42nd Street between Emile Street and Dewey Avenue..

See sidebar for public parking options

Bring your family and support a family that stays at the Ronald McDonald House. A $7.50 per person contribution — cash, check or credit cards accepted — provides:

• Free ice skating.
• Free waffles and sausages from The Waffleman.
• Free coffee and hot chocolate provided by Scooters.
• Free face painting and balloon animals.
• An opportunity to meet Ronald McDonald himself.

The $7.50 per person contribution helps support a one-night stay for a family at the Ronald McDonald House. A free will donation is suggested for children 4 and under. All proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Have pop tabs? Bring them to the Dec. 7 event as Ronald McDonald House staff collects and recycles aluminum tabs to help defray its operational costs. Families also may choose to bring an item from the Ronald McDonald House wish list. Huber Chevrolet will be on site to encourage participants to “stuff the truck” with household/pantry items.

Click here for wish list items, parking information and more.

UNMC leaders, alongside McDonald’s owner/operators, helped bring the Ronald McDonald House to 620 S. 38th Ave. in Omaha in 1994. Since then, the Ronald McDonald House has provided for thousands of families who have brought their sick children to Omaha for medical care.

In 2012, 70 percent of the patients whose families called the Ronald McDonald House home were from UNMC; many were patients in UNMC’s intestinal rehabilitation program. UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, are home to one of the most reputable and well-known organ transplant programs in the country. Its health care teams provide comprehensive treatment for diseases that affect the liver, intestine, kidney, pancreas and heart.