Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Hits Home for Allen & Allen Paralegal Kathy Kabala

As Allen & Allen paralegal Kathy Kabala volunteers alongside eight of her colleagues at the Ronald McDonald House, she remembers it wasn’t long ago when her family benefitted from the services the nonprofit provides.

“The Ronald McDonald House was amazing to my family,” says Kathy. “It felt like you were at your own home.”

Kathy’s family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in March 2018, three months after her niece was born with a heart defect that required surgery.

“When my niece weighed 11 pounds, which was the weight required to perform the surgery, my sister and her wife, who also have a three-year-old daughter, drove from Asheville, North Carolina to the Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte,” says Kathy. Once there, they stayed at the Ronald McDonald House.

The Ronald McDonald House provides a home environment for those with sick children in order to keep families together near the care they need at little to no cost. Their services include home-cooked meals, private bedrooms, and playrooms for children. In addition to providing a place for families to call home, the nonprofit also offers a room to rest and regroup at the hospital.

Allen & Allen paralegal Kathy Kabala, left, volunteers alongside eight of her colleagues at the Ronald McDonald House.

“It was a safe haven for my family. While they were waiting for the testing and medical procedures to wrap up, it was nice to have a friendly place nearby.”

As Kathy helps prepare mac ‘n cheese for the families staying at the Richmond Ronald McDonald House, she says she’s grateful her employer encourages volunteerism.

“One of the main reasons I like Allen & Allen is their desire to promote community service,” says Kathy, “A lot of people don’t know about the services the Ronald McDonald House provides to families, and anything I can do to give back to this organization, or to get the word out about the work they do, I’m going to do it.”

Employees at Allen & Allen are encouraged to volunteer in their own time in the community. Additionally, they receive one paid day a year to volunteer at an organization of their choosing.

Click here to learn ways you can get involved at the Ronald McDonald House, or to learn more about the services the nonprofit provides.