Planned Giving

For Attorneys and Advisors

Legal Name:
Bequests and other forms of planned / estate gifts should be designated to:
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati, Inc.

Legal Address:
350 Erkenbrecher Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45229

Intended Use of Gift:
Please indicate whether the gift is intended for our House’s general purposes and uses, for a specific program, to be added to our endowment, or other use.
Please contact us in advance if there is a specific or restricted use for the gift to make sure that we can fully honor the donor’s wishes.

Tax ID Number:
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati’s
Tax Identification Number is:
31-0965333

Barbara M. Stern

Ensuring the Future

“It was easy. I needed to write my will, and my attorney asked which charities were important to me. It was natural to include Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House,” says Barbie Stern.

Always a generous supporter, Barbie’s relationship with the House took on new meaning in 2000, when Molly, her close friend from Ithaca, N.Y., learned her daughter, Ali, was in need of a liver transplant and was referred to Cincinnati Children’s. Our House then became their “home away from home” for many months while Ali was treated and, ultimately, received her life-saving transplant.

Having witnessed, day to day, what the House meant for Molly and Ali and for other families like theirs, Barbie began to see the bequest she had made in a different light. “What if you were in their shoes but didn’t know a soul in Cincinnati?” she says. “At Ronald McDonald House, no family is ever alone – they are always cared for, and they have a unique support network of families who know what they are going through.”

Barbie’s generosity and forethought in making a bequest to the House were recently honored at the 2011 Voices of Giving Awards which recognizes Greater Cincinnatians who have chosen to make a planned gift to a favorite charitable organization to ensure its future.

We are indebted to Barbie and to all our generous planned giving donors for their enduring commitment to the future of our House and our guest families.

Robi and Scott McIntire

A Volunteer’s Legacy

“It was easy. It was really painless.” These are the words of volunteer Robi McIntire, speaking about the planned gift she and her husband, Scott, have made to Ronald McDonald House. As a volunteer of nearly ten years, Robi McIntire sees first hand how great the need is. All of this moved Robi to make a planned gift. “You see the need just by being here, anywhere in the House.”

Robi also recognizes that Ronald McDonald House is a good steward of its donated funds:

“I could not, in good conscience, leave money to an organization without knowing that it would be used responsibly. I know – from watching and listening during my time at the House – that our gift will be used to make a direct impact on the families who need help. My time and my money make a difference here and that feels good.”

With this first-hand knowledge – and a passion for our mission – Robi and Scott decided to make a planned gift. They had purchased an insurance policy to provide for their children. But with the kids now grown, they decided to name Ronald McDonald House as the beneficiary. For Robi and Scott, the insurance policy seemed like the right thing to do. They felt comfortable making this decision now rather than later.

Robi and Scott have worked very hard and have been fortunate to have healthy children. “And for that,” Robi says, “I strongly believe you have to give back.”

We are indebted to Robi and Scott and to all our generous planned giving donors for their enduring commitment to the future of our House and our guest families.

Marge Gallagher

A Passion for the Cause

Like our many other generous planned giving donors, Marge’s gesture of making our House a beneficiary of her retirement plan is a unique example of passion transformed into action.

Having seen a public service announcement for Ronald McDonald House, Marge was moved and thought, “I could not possibly imagine being a parent and being faced with the shocking news of my child being critically ill, not knowing where to turn, where to stay, or how to cope.” For Marge, it was simply impossible not to act decisively on their behalf.

She began to visit our House and later commented:

“Each time I would come and see the children, it reminded me of how great I felt about being part of the House – about making sure this House could do as much as possible, for as many families as possible, for as long as possible.”

Marge’s kindness and forethought in making a planned gift to the House were honored at the 2009 Voices of Giving Awards which recognizes Greater Cincinnatians who have chosen to make a planned gift to a favorite charitable organization to ensure its future. Our friend Marge passed away in 2010, but her spirit lives on in our House where her generosity continues to touch the lives of our guest families.

John Milner, Sr.

In Honor of his Grandson, Reid

John Milner, Sr., on the recommendation of his son, John Milner, Jr., decided to leave part of his charitable remainder trust to our House because of the tremendous service it had provided to his son’s family.

John, Jr.’s son, Reid, spent nearly the entire first year of his life in a San Jose, California hospital. Complications during pregnancy and a premature birth required heroic measures to keep Reid alive. Extensive time on a ventilator in the pediatric ICU resulted in Reid’s airway shutting down. “We were told,” says his mother Sherri, “that he might never walk, talk, or be able to eat or even develop properly.” Doctors at Cincinnati Children’s spent the next six years successfully reconstructing his airway. Reid, now in his teens, continues to return to Cincinnati with his family for periodic consultations with their medical team.

Being able to stay at the House has made a world of difference. Sherri insists, “Without Ronald McDonald House it would have been so much more difficult.” The support received, the home-cooked meals and comfortable room “make it much more tolerable when you’re going through an ordeal like this,” she says. “Without Ronald McDonald House, we wouldn’t have been able to meet so many people going through the same thing,” says Sherri. She also recalls that living at the House made it possible for her own mother to visit and support the family. “My mom came to the House almost as much as we did,” Sherri says. “She spent months on end helping us.”

Sherri and John, Jr. have not only experienced the need Ronald McDonald House fills during such trying times, but also want to ensure that an ever-expanding number of families can count on this same support. According to John, Jr., “Ronald McDonald House opens the door for families who otherwise may not get the specialized treatment their children need.”

So, when given the opportunity to help select the beneficiaries of his father’s charitable remainder trust, John, Jr., naturally suggested Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House. As John would put it:

“What Ronald McDonald House does for families makes them such a deserving organization.”

We are indebted to the Milner family and to all our generous planned giving donors for their enduring commitment to the future of our House and our guest families.