Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan CEO Tammy Forrester says a few words at the Northern Lights Casino on Thursday. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

A great cause

Malcolm Jenkins, SIGA make significant donations to RMHC

Sep 13, 2024 | 6:00 AM

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Saskatchewan received a big boost in funding on Thursday for the construction of two new homes in Prince Albert and Regina.

The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) and the Northern Lights Casino announced that they are donating $100,000 to the organization for building both homes, while the Malcolm J. Jenkins Family Foundation is committing $50,000 to the construction of the home in Prince Albert.

The new home in Prince Albert will feature 12 rooms for families with additional room for an expansion that can add another four rooms. The home will also include various lounging and dining areas along with a teen game room, toy room, and fitness center/play room to name a few of the amenities.

A layout of the new Ronald McDonald House in Prince Albert. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

Joined alongside Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte, SIGA Vice President of Corporate Affairs Pat Cook, and RMHC Saskatchewan CEO Tammy Forrester, the casino’s General Manager Angie Isbister said she’s seen the need of the home in the North.

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“Living and working in Prince Albert for over 20 years, I’ve seen the important role that Prince Albert plays as the Gateway Hub to the North for providing many services to northern families and it only makes sense to have a new Ronald McDonald House open here to support families while their loved ones are undergoing care at Victoria Hospital,” said Isbister.

Members of SIGA, Northern Lights Casino, Prince Albert Grand Council, and RMHC Saskatchewan. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

Meanwhile, the Malcolm J. Jenkins Family Foundation partnered with the Broadway North Theatre Company to bring their donation to RMHC to light.

The two organizations made it so that for every one ticket sold to the production of The Wizard of Oz earlier this summer, the Foundation would donate $10 to the Ronald McDonald House construction in Prince Albert, where they later matched that total to double their donation.

“It was a double whammy really, to get the awareness of the show up and also help a good cause,” explained Malcolm Jenkins. “We wanted to help Ronald McDonald House and we thought if we tied the two together – we ended up with 2,500 people at the show, so now 2,500 more people know about Ronald McDonald House.”

“I think everyone knows it’s a great cause and how it helps people when they get struck suddenly with some disease or some accidents their child from out of town,” he continued. “They’re in a remote place all of a sudden, they have to go to the nearest care centre and they’re faced with bills for hotels, hundreds of dollars a night and a lot of people can’t afford that, it would destroy them.”

Members of the Malcolm J. Jenkins Family Foundation and RMHC Saskatchewan. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

He added that with the new home’s proximity to both Victoria Hospital and the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse, it’s an ideal location for families year-round.

“Oftentimes it’s the family that comes, so if they take a child into the hospital and it’s being cared for there, then they can take the [other children] and they have this beautiful playground outside. Or if it’s winter, they’ve got the inside of the beautiful [Fieldhouse] here. It’s just a perfect fit.”

Forrester said that the construction of the home in Prince Albert is overdue.

“The need for a Ronald McDonald House in Prince Albert is very real,” the CEO said. “Over the past 10 years, 71 per cent of RMHC-SK families have come from the Northern Health Region categories. These regions include: Athabasca Health Authority, Keewatin Yatthe, Mamawetan Churchill River, Prairie North, Prince Albert Parkland, Kelsey Trail and Saskatoon Health Region.”

She continued that with the new home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan families will save approximately $2.9 million from hotel, food, and parking expenses.

Construction on the home is expected to start next year.

A conceptual rendering for the new Ronald McDonald House in Prince Albert. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com