Ten years ago, a small group of people pushed, pulled, and went through hoops, in order to finally achieve approval to create a space in the hospital, where kids in need of medical assistance and their families could be cared for, receive support, and most importantly, stay together. One of the first sponsor partners moved by RMHC’s purpose was Maduro & Curiel’s Bank. Michael de Sola, Managing Director of MCB, has nothing but admiration and praise for the people of RMHC and immense pride in how the foundation has developed and grown this past decade. “This team makes things happen! They work tirelessly, efficiently, and out of the box. Moreover, in everything they do you feel how they’re driven by their purpose, which is at all times the children and their families. RMHC is truly an example for foundations in Curaçao as well as Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide.”
Maduro & Curiel’s Bank (MCB) has always been leading when it comes to being an active sponsor partner for causes that promote community well-being and social responsibility. This mainly derives from MCB’s core values that were set in stone in 1916 when MCB was established. The founders were members of the community, and they’ve always had a strong sense that they should care for and contribute to their community. “It’s been our company’s culture since Day 1. More than four generations ago our founders were determined about embedding that the bank’s purpose should not solely be to benefit the business side of the bank and its clients. The foundation of our bank is that our efforts are focused on the well-being of our country”, Michael explains. Today, there are hundreds of MCB employees that love to volunteer. MCB has a specialized Corporate Responsibility team that researches all requests thoroughly, among others by doing the background checks, making an inventory of project budgets, and by doing a follow-up when the projects are completed. Oftentimes, other major companies and service groups approach MCB to request advice or ask if there are projects they can support. Having the MCB Stamp of Approval when acquiring sponsor partners or donors does help open more doors.
Creating awareness for RMHC
MCB has always been in the forefront when supporting and bringing awareness to why having an RMHC chapter in Curaçao is so incredibly important. During a speech at the bank, Michael de Sola famously stated that “Any self-respecting country that values the well-being of its country’s children and their families, must have Ronald McDonald foundation facilities in place at their hospital.” According to Michael, the importance of our Curacao Medical Center and the RMHC are undeniable. He explains how their efforts concern people’s lives, their health and overall well-being, which is something that has come to the foreground even more so during the pandemic. “The hospital is an integral part of our community, therefor it’s very important for us to help and support CMC and RMHC during these difficult times.” That this sometimes results in spontaneous support became evident, when Michael, on his ‘Plachi di Dia’ day (the day one is allowed to drive during the country’s lockdown hours) without thinking twice got in his car, picked up and brought utilities which the hospital needed immediately. Although it surprised many to see the Managing Director of a major bank being so hands-on, Michael simply states that he sees supporting in any way possible as a must. With regards to RMHC, Michael shares that “Thousands of families here in Curaçao and surrounding islands have been cared for since the foundation was established. Kids don’t ask to get sick, and parents can get overwhelmed by such a situation. In your moment of despair, RMHC gives parents a sense of calmness. MCB recognizes how much the presence of such a foundation means to our community.”
Becoming an RMHC Sponsor Partner
Through the years the partnership between MCB and RMHC continued to develop. At the end of 2015, while MCB commemorated its 100 Years of existence, the year-long ‘Rumbo pa 100’ activities and festivities culminated in a major celebration at the Brion Plein in our city’s capital, where MCB recognized the RMHC for its efforts for the well-being of children and their families.
What started as a small token of support, developed into a multiple years’ sponsor partnership, with annual partner trademark activities. Some of the signature events that are well-known in Curaçao are the Color Walk and the Annual RMHC Golf Classic, both chosen as they are fun and health-conscious events. RMHC and MCB hope they’ll be able to organize these events again in the future, in order to collect the much-needed funds to ensure, not only the continuous existence of the Ronald McDonald House facilities at the hospital, but as important, the financial support, air travel tickets, and stay for families that need to go abroad with their child in order to receive medical support.
Experiencing RMHC as a parent
As fate would have it, after years of supporting the RMHC, Michael de Sola’s family went through a situation of their own, and consequently visited the RMHC Family Room for support. In 2017, one of his children, his at that time 8-year-old daughter, became very ill. So ill, Michael and his wife rushed to the hospital to find out what was going on. Turned out their daughter had meningitis. Michael recalls how he and his wife visited the RMHC Family Room while their daughter was recovering. “Even when you feel stressed and anxious as a parent, once you enter the RMHC Family Room a feeling of calmness overflows you. The team has so much experience. They are able to tell you what to do and what to expect. As a parent you feel like you will be able to handle more. They truly live up to their promise of keeping the families close.”
RMHC: a local AND worldwide example
After experiencing RMHC all these years, Michael de Sola only has praise for the team. “They are people that just make it happen! Especially Claudia [red: RMHC Managing Director/ Founder], Rolando Galarraga [red: RMHC Board of director President] and the entire core team. They don’t take no for an answer, they keep on pushing. Many of the team and the volunteers have had experiences needing medical support for their children, some of them before there was even an RMHC, with circumstances where all they had as parents was a chair where they even had to sleep on. This has filled them with so much passion and drive for the cause, the children and their families.”
Michael continues to explain how the RMHC had to move mountains to achieve the RMHC Family Room and facilities at the new hospital. At a certain point the hospital indicated space would be made available for RMHC within the hospital building, but they had to fund the furniture and necessities themselves. Looking back, Michael remembers how the team organized events and saved funds in a structured way, which enabled them to pay for all that was necessary themselves. This self-sufficient goal-oriented way of working makes RMHC a best practice in terms of how a foundation can function and thrive on our island. And according to Michael, Chapters around the world also look at our RMHC Curacao as an example. “During a meeting I met with the Chief Field Operations Officer of RMHC Global and learned that the RMHC in Curaçao is quite unique in many ways with its facilities including bedrooms for parents incorporated as an integral part of the hospital. In addition to being an example for foundations in Curaçao, our RMHC is also an example for many RMHC’s around the world.”