• Posted: December 21, 2020
• better communities

It’s just not Christmas without the lights. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to decorate their own home or get out to enjoy others’ holiday lights. That’s particularly true for families staying at a Chicago-area Ronald McDonald House this December while a child in their family is hospitalized. As the presenting sponsor for the 2020 Christmas Tree in Millennium Park, and with our members literally powering Chicago’s holidays, we know how stunning holiday lights can brighten spirits. So this holiday season, we committed to bringing the lights to Ronald McDonald House families in Chicagoland. 

Starting on December 1st, we invited Chicagoans to submit photos of their interior and exterior holiday light displays to share with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (RMHC-CNI). RMHC-CNI keeps 162 families close to the care and resources they need through five area Ronald McDonald Houses and three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms. Enabling families to stay close to their hospitalized child supports the health and well-being of the child and saves families more than $9 million in hotel and food costs each year.

Since the campaign kicked off, we’ve received photos from Chicagoans far and wide showcasing their creativity this holiday season. We’ve sent all of these photos to RMHC-CNI, which has displayed many of them on digital boards in the lobbies of Ronald McDonald Houses throughout Cook County to brighten the holiday season for families with hospitalized children as they’ve come and gone from the hospital.

There were many impressive holiday light displays shared in recent weeks, and we greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to help lift the spirits of families in need of a little extra holiday cheer during an already challenging year. We have long supported RMHC-CNI because we believe in their mission, and with the help of everyone who shared their photos this December, we know that the holidays have been just a little bit brighter for RMHC-CNI families this year. 

We’ve included several of the photos shared on Facebook since December 1st below. To see the rest, click here. 

Thanks again to all who participated, and Happy Holidays!