Article from the Hawley Herald - December 9, 2024

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By Jen Miller ~ Staff Writer

Everyone would love to experience the merry and bright that decorate the holiday season; however, accidents and illnesses still occur and make for a blue Christmas. As wonderful as home for the holidays sounds, that is not an option for everyone, like many families who are currently residing at the Ronald McDonald House. When parents aren’t sitting beside a hospital bed trying to comfort their sick child, they’re trying to make it through a difficult time and parent their other children while staying in a strange place. They don’t have the time or energy to bake Christmas cookies or go shopping. However, a small act of kindness, such as donating to Katie’s Roar Christmas Toy Drive, can lift an entire family’s spirit.

How Katie’s Roar got involved with the Ronald McDonald House in Fargo is a miracle in itself that has grown from helping one family to many over the last year. “We believe God works in mysterious ways, and He most definitely had a hand in this connection, and we know Katie would approve wholeheartedly because she LOVED children and helping people who were in need,” Lisa Bjorndahl shared. 

Katie’s Roar, a nonprofit founded in memory of Katie Bjorndahl, got involved with the Ronald McDon¬ald House in September of 2023 after receiving a $25,000 grant from First Interstate Bank. Every year, First Interstate Bank gives away 40 $25,000 grants to area nonprofits. The nonprofits must submit a formal request, which a committee reviews. Lisa and her husband, Aaron, learned about the grant as their nonprofit was handed the check.

“It was Katie’s softball teammate, Hailey Thompson, who works for First Interstate Bank, who wrote the detailed essay and submitted it. She and Katie were best of buds, and she remains very close to our family. We consider her our bonus daughter,” Lisa explained. “We contacted the Ronald McDonald House and asked what it costs to dedicate a room in someone’s memory, and they said it was $25,000. The phone line became very quiet for a while and some tears were shed. After I told her, we had just received that exact amount. We knew right then and there, it was meant to be.” 

The Ronald McDonald House is founded on “Keeping families to¬gether and providing the comforts of home while their kids receive medical care.” The nonprofit, grounded “in heart, creativity, adaptability, and teamwork,” first opened its doors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1974. The first Fargo Ronald McDonald House opened at 1234 North Broad¬way in 1982, and a second location opened in South Fargo in 2005. 

In May 2018, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Val¬ley, thanks to many generous donors, was able to build a 17-guestroom, 30,000-square-foot facility at 4757 Agassiz Crossing to replace the two smaller houses. www.rmhcfargo.org 

The Ronald McDonald House becomes home to many families who land in heart-breaking and difficult situations that no parent ever wants to find themselves in. “Families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House have a child that is in critical care at the hospital, including the psychiatric hospital—or they may be staying there while their child is receiving cancer treatments, or with a preemie baby that needs to be close to the hospital. The house is full of families staying there, so there is a great need for help,” Lisa explained. 

Katie’s Roar does much more than sponsor a room. They donate supplies throughout the year, put meals together, and do what they can to bring a little normalcy to the families residing at the house. “We provide many meals, cater in two holiday meals, and make meals dur¬ing the year, especially during the anniversary time of Katie’s death in September and then on her birthday in October. This year, we brought in birthday cupcakes for everyone,” Lisa said. “One neat thing that Gracie does is she will do seasonal/holiday crafts for the siblings staying in the house throughout the year. It gives those kids something to look forward to and it’s nice to see the focus put on them. Gracie does a wonderful job making each child feel very special.” 

Katie’s Roar also hosted a Toy Drive last year, which turned out to be a huge success, putting gifts under the tree for everyone staying at the house. “We can’t thank everyone enough who donated. Everyone at the Ronald McDonald House was so very overwhelmed and thankful for the donations. My friend Karen Kasin and I drove up an entire pickup load packed tight,” Lisa commented.

Katie’s Roar has decided to make the Ronald McDonald House Christ¬mas Toy Drive one of their holiday traditions and would graciously appreciate any support, whether it’s an item from the Toy Drive list or a monetary donation. These donations are wrapped up and gifted to the chil¬dren staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Imagine the joy on the faces when the younger kids see that Santa found them at the Ronald McDonald House and left them a present under the tree on Christmas morning. 

The Toy Drive list comes directly from a Ronald McDonald House rep¬resentative, who knows exactly what these families need. People can drop off new and unwrapped items, such as Lego sets, action figures, dolls, art kits, games, and puzzles (other items can be found on the Christmas Toy Drive flyer) at Tony’s Supermarket, Rapat Corporation, Valley Premier Bank, Bell Bank, Express Lane Hawley, NuCara Pharmacy, EyeCare Associates, and local churches right up until December 22. 

Those who would rather donate money, can use the QR code or drop monetary donations off at Bell Bank under Katie’s Roar account. “We use all the monies donated to go out and do the shopping for them. They say teens are the hardest to find gifts for, so we purchase items for them,” Lisa mentioned. 

Katie’s Roar recently learned and is very thankful that the freewill of¬fering collected during the Wednes¬day night meals at Hegland-Solem will go toward the Katie’s Roar Toy Drive. “We will use those funds to go shopping for what is still needed and anything received after the December 22 cutoff will go toward our other big fundraiser that will benefit students right here in Hawley. We will make that announcement after the first of the year,” Lisa said. 

People can visit www.katieroar. com to learn more about the nonprofit and purchase Katie’s Roar merchandise. Not only will you find a great gift or a last-minute stocking stuffer, but you’ll help a teenager get a little bit closer to tackling his or her dream as the money raised through Katie’s Roar merchandise goes toward a scholarship for a graduating Hawley senior. 

“Katie’s Roar accepts donations throughout the year. Every dollar that comes in goes right back out,. For example, the scholarship, which we would like to increase from one to two per year, specific fundraisers such as the Toy Drive, and an annual focus fundraiser (which readers will learn about after the first of the year). If someone wants their donation to go toward a specific cause, we honor that wish. Monies don’t sit in an account but go right back out almost immedi-ately because there are lots of needs,” Lisa shared. 

Donating to Katie’s Roar Ronald McDonald House Toy Drive is a great way to spread a little joy this holiday season to those experiencing a blue Christmas.