Published: Nov. 18, 2011
Kids at Sparrow's Children Center got a special visit today from Ronald McDonald®, the smiling iconic symbol of McDonald's.
The engaging clown gave high-fives and hugs to kids, hospital patients, visitors and staff before making his way up to the fifth floor playroom of the Children's Center.
Once there, he delighted young patients and parents by playing games and, well, generally clowning around.
"All kids deserve to have fun, especially kids in the hospital," the SpokesClown said. "The best thing is when you see someone who is a little timid and you get a smile out of them."
Ronald McDonald attends 400 Michigan community events each year and regularly visits children in schools and hospitals.
The Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan, adjacent to Sparrow Hospital, is a home away from home for families of hospitalized children. Providing a small amount of normalcy in a very abnormal situation, theRonald McDonald House is a place to rest, shower, relax, catch up on phone calls, get a hot meal or do laundry.
For more than a century, Sparrow has been a leader in caring for children. The first hospital in mid-Michigan to offer a dedicated children's unit, Sparrow today is home to the region's only full-service pediatric emergency department. And, as the region's Children's Miracle Network hospital, Sparrow is able to provide families the most advanced technology and treatment options in pediatric and neonatal care.