Ronald McDonald Earth Day Beautification Project
Gachina Landscape Management participated in an Earth Day project at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, California on Saturday, April 21st, 2018. The project beautified the connective courtyard between Stanford’s two buildings. Since opening in 1979, Ronald McDonald at Stanford has provided the gift of togetherness for thousands of families who relocate to Palo Alto for their children’s specialized 
medical treatment at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. The campus’s outdoor spaces provide needed respite for families to spend time together and reinforce a sense of community in times of crises. The renovation of this courtyard will help enhance families’ experiences by providing a place where they can recharge, relax and rest.
The project took place inside the courtyard and rear of the Taube Center where there is a playground and garden. The project included a full irrigation renovation; new valves and a state of the art drip irrigation system. Old and declining shrubs were removed and replaced with drought-tolerant perennial flowering shrubs; Penstemon, Yarrow, and Kangaroo paw. All areas were refreshed with mulch. Furthermore, a decomposed granite pathway which was in decline was renovated.
30 Gachina volunteers – both employees and family members joined in the renovation. The estimated cost of the project was $16,355.00. Gachina provides the ongoing monthly maintenance to the House and will add these new areas at no additional cost. Branch Manager William Cruz states, “It was fun and it showed how we all worked like a family together. I was very proud of my team and the Gachina employees who attended.” Finance Director Sharon Chao adds, “The event was fun and a learning experience for me. Everyone worked hard and made a difference. The Gachina team are experts at what they do and proud landscape professionals!” Click here for more images of the project.
The House at Stanford was the fifth of now 365 Ronald McDonald Houses around the world. Its mission was founded on the belief that seriously ill children have a greater likelihood of successful outcomes if their families are together in a supportive environment close to the hospital. The original House provided accommodations nightly for 13 
families, including private bedrooms and bathrooms, a community kitchen and dining room. Over the past 38 years, the House has expanded multiple times to meet increasing demand for family care services.
Now welcoming 123 families every night, the House has enhanced the continuum of care available to families and has become the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world. The House offers families opportunities to bond, rest and engage in a comprehensive mix of creative, safe, and participatory programming designed to ease stress and allow parents to focus on what matters most – the health and well-being of their children.
In January 2018, the House formally joined two previously affiliated local partners – San Francisco Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area – to establish one unified organization to better support families with children receiving essential pediatric care at partner hospitals.
Gachina is proud to support and partner with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area.
