The funny man who wears size 29 shoes, has the gift of the gab, and comes from McDonaldland somewhere beyond Never-Never Land came to Prince George Wednesday to help launch the Family Place and Resource Library in the pediatrics ward at UHNBC.
Ronald McDonald was front and centre during the official opening of the family place, a new four-bedroom apartment space for out-of-town families with sick children.
"It has everything they need to stay and to prepare meals without having to go to a hotel," Belinda Maidment, manager of maternal child services, said during the tour of the common sitting room with television and DVD, full bath, washer and dryer and kitchen.
"It's a comfortable setting where families can relax, prepare meals and share concerns with other families going through similar situations."
The resource library offers laptops, Internet and books of information on medical matters ranging from allergies to diseases and conditions.
The new area space was included in the 2005 expansion of the hospital, and $40,000 funding from Ronald McDonald House Charities has been used for room furnishings, kitchen supplies, laptops and Internet service in the library, as well as the books and other resources.
Users of the home-away-from-home pay nominal fees of $25 a night.
Ronald McDonald, whose age is placed between 20 and 500 years, visited the children in the ward, treating them to a magic show while making them laugh with his child-wise wit and matching their excited hopping up and down.
Known as the Chief Happiness Officer of McDonald's Corporation, he also entertained the group of adults who came to see him and learn about such things as it taking about 90 minutes to get his pedicure with an oversized pumice stone, but children question him mostly about whether Hamburglar has been caught yet and how Grimace is doing, and that time, between earth and McDonaldland, can vary.
"When you're having fun you gain time, and when you're not, you lose time," he said.
Out-of-town families who need to stay at the Family Place can call 1-250-565-5825 for more information and for an application form.
