Staff from KRA Headquarters (HQ) and KRA’s newest project in Baltimore, Maryland, kicked-off this year’s Community Care Day Initiative on Sunday, December 4 , 2011. As previously reported, on November 23, Knowlton R. Atterbeary, KRA President & CEO, officially launched 2011 Community Care Day, a company-wide volunteer program created in 2009 to celebrate the joy of giving and sharing good works with neighbors in the communities KRA serves.
The event was held at the Baltimore Ronald McDonald House, which is a very special place that provides a loving home-away-from-home for up to 36 out-of-town families at a time while their children receive medical treatment from nearby hospitals, notably the University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Given the worldwide renown of these and other Baltimore medical facilities, guests often travel from far away and stay for extended periods. Last year the house served approximately 1,000 families.
The HQ/Baltimore KRA team, some of whom are pictured below, brought common household-goods donations to the House, as well as all the foodstuffs to organize, prepare, and serve dinner for the House’s guests. Led by “Head Chef” Joyce Tabb, KRA Accounting Specialist at Headquarters, the team took advantage of a well-equipped kitchen to prepare a full “upside down” dinner (a.k.a. “breakfast for dinner”), which included fresh pancakes, waffles, biscuits, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit salad, cereal, and juice.
After preparing the meal, the KRA team joined the guests for dinner, meeting families from out-of-state and overseas, including some who have been travelling back and forth to Baltimore for months. According to Patrick Boxall, KRA’s Chief Operating Officer, “It was very rewarding for the KRA team to be able to help out families that face so many challenges. Also, as we open the doors in Baltimore on KRA’s newest project, what better way to show that KRA is committed to being active in the community than to do our part in welcoming out-of-town visitors at the Ronald McDonald House?”
Dr. Boone’s 20+ years’ experience in the industry is extensive and her expertise in private-, public-, and non-profit sector workforce-services organizations is unparalleled, particularly in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area.
