Spirit Magazine - February 2014 - (Page 143)

+ Community Outreach KITCHEN AIDES Southwest Employees make dinner each month at the Ronald McDonald House in Austin, Texas. The House that LUV Built SWA and Ronald McDonald House Charities team up to help families. I serve as executive director at the Ronald McDonald House of Austin, Texas, and each day, from the moment I walk into the House, I feel at home. Even with the usual hustle and bustle of volunteers preparing dinner in the kitchen or children playing in the living room, our House has a sense of community, calm, and comfort that makes it a place of rest and recuperation-a true home away from home for families who are traveling to receive medical care for a seriously ill or injured child. Most often, families come to the Ronald McDonald House in the middle of an unexpected pediatric crisis. We enable these families to concentrate on getting and keeping their child healthy and happy by providing support and stability in a homelike environment at little to no cost. So much of the community we have created at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas is due to the generous support of Southwest Airlines. In 2004, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas received a gift of $125,000 from Southwest's annual charity golf tournament, the LUV Classic. This gift, which at the time was our most substantial single donation, enabled us to kick off our capital campaign for the House we opened in 2007. Southwest Employees also support our organization by volunteering each month to cook dinner. We even have a guest room deemed the "LUV Room" in honor of our partnership with Southwest. The families who come here are filled with worry and anxiety, arriving by chance and not fully understanding how we can help. But there is a moment when I can tell that the parents really comprehend the support and strength present within our House. That's when they say to themselves, "We can do this." This is why we exist; this is our mission. The Ronald McDonald House has become a place that both we and the families LUV. And I am comforted to know that, with the generous support of partners like Southwest, we are able to help children facing medical crises to heal with their families by their sides. -Carolyn Schwarz, Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas FEBRUARY 2014 SPIRIT 143

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - February 2014

Spirit Magazine - February 2014
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
Revel in rum
Cozy up to Chicago
Wise Guide
Learn to slow down
The Numbers
Get briefed on Oscars history
Entertain (with) a proposal
Keep your company current
Business
Cut down on insurance confusion
Digitize your doorman
Seek success with fun and games
Go loco for Lego
Building Lego
A Fighting Chance
Your Adventure In Miami
Promotional Series: Focus on Health for All Seasons
Promotional Series: Focus on Education
Promotional Series: Focus on Franchises
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Service
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The “If” List

Spirit Magazine - February 2014