The PolyCare for the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House Club at Long Beach Poly High formed in January 2012, just after the House was opened. Since then, the club has grown to include more than two dozen Poly students who have had the opportunity to volunteer at many House events, including Walk for Kids, the Car and Motorcycle Show, golf tournaments and sponsor recognitions. Club members have also gotten to interact directly with House guests at club-organized activities, such as movie nights, ice cream socials and barbecue dinners. Planning and staffing the craft and game area for the annual Family Holiday Party has been a highlight for the club members for several years.
Now a senior, founding club president Maddie Stewart was a freshman when she and her friend and classmate, Nathalie Kinsbursky, recruited their peers and Maddie’s brother, Brett, then a junior, to form the club. Maddie says, “I believe we have been able to make a small difference in the families’ experience at the House, and that we have been able to ease the burden of many of the staff members as we put a creative spin on their everyday obligations while supporting efforts to make things comfortable and comforting for these families.” She adds, “It has been meaningful for me, personally, to have been a part of the Long Beach House from the very beginning. Even more so than the families who come and go, we in the club have been able to see how far the House has come and how much has been accomplished in just three and half years. It’s a bit like we’ve all grown up together!” Thank you for the continuous support the Poly Club has given throughout the years and congratulations to all the seniors on your graduation!
