The Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan might not give you super-sized combo meals.
But it can give comfort and a place to stay for out-of-town parents with sick children.
“I can walk across the street and see my daughter anytime I want,” Lansing resident Shelly Vendeville said.
Vendeville is staying at the house, 121 S. Holmes St., while her daughter is in Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital.
“They are a godsend,” she said.
On Saturday, the house celebrated its first year of service with a run, barbecue and open house.
Area runners donated a registration fee for a chance to participate in the 5K fun run and walk or to let their children participate in the children’s fun run and walk and then enjoy the barbecue.
Charlotte resident Becky Tirrell was the first woman to cross the finish line.
“I enjoy running and it was for a good cause,” she said.
DeWitt resident Scott Montiac, who crossed the finish line first, said it was the first race he has been able to participate in.
“It is a wonderful way to raise money,” he said.
Williamston resident Geoff Pollak said he and his children came to watch his wife run and to support the house.
“It is a wonderful charity for parents with sick children,” he said.
Dan Hieber, a volunteer and Haslett resident, said he has volunteered with the house before. The race, Hieber said, got a little hairy when participants were crossing Michigan Avenue.
“It was like a cross between the Boston Marathon and the Indianapolis 500,” he said. “People understood once they saw the runners with their children.”
Mary-Marae Baker, a 6-year-old Marion resident, said the children’s activities were fun.
“I think the house is cool,” she said.
The house is not owned by McDonald’s and is run on the money the community donates or raised through fund-raisers.
“The whole house is made possible by the genorosity (of) the businesses and people of the community,” Lansing City Councilmember Joan Bauer said.
Bauer has served on the board of directors since the house’s conception.
“I believe in the cause and the purpose of the house for the community and for families of chronically sick children,” she said.
For Bauer, the house is an example to the rest of the state.
Rebecca Reagan, public relations chairperson for the house, said the event was a great success.
“We want to make this an annual event, so plan on seeing us next year.”
