Green Mountain Energy® Solar at Ronald McDonald House in Austin is Dedicated

Local Dignitaries Cut Ribbon on World’s First LEED Platinum Ronald McDonald House

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas (RMHC-ACT) celebrated the grand opening of Austin’s new Ronald McDonald House at Mueller on Thursday. The opening of the new House, located adjacent to the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, marks the culmination of six years of fundraising, hard work and progressive architectural planning.

Austin community leaders joined national and local RMHC-ACT executives to kick off the day’s events with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Select representatives spoke briefly before symbolically cutting a large piece of fabric, which was used in lieu of a traditional ribbon. The fabric will later be incorporated into the House’s original, handcrafted fabric sculpture.

"With therapeutic architectural elements and cutting edge design, the new House is not just where healing happens, it makes healing happen," said RMHC-ACT’s chief executive officer, Kent Burress. "This House allows us to serve more families and to provide a much higher level of care for Central Texans."

Attendees toured the 30,000-square-foot green built House, which has 30 state of the art rooms for families to stay in while their children are being treated in Austin-area medical centers. In addition, the House features healing architectural design, a custom-built playground and a closed circuit ventilation system to prevent contamination.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, representatives from Green Mountain Energy Company, Austin Energy, RMHC-ACT and Ronald McDonald flipped a ceremonial switch to dedicate the Green Mountain Energy Solar® Array at Ronald McDonald House. The solar array, donated and funded by Green Mountain Energy Company and Austin Energy, consists of 54 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and covers nearly 950 square feet of roof space. This array will power up to 15 rooms in the Austin House, making it the first solar powered Ronald McDonald House in the world.

"I believe we are responsible for the families who stay with us, for the resources we consume and for the stewardship of public trust. In embracing that responsibility, I know RMHC will establish itself globally as a leader in promoting sustainable design principles," Burress said.

Austin’s new House will be one of two LEED Platinum buildings in Austin and among the first in the Southwestern U.S. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

RMHC-ACT also opened its doors to the public on Thursday evening for its annual ‘Lights of Love’ open house event at 5 p.m. With live music, family-friendly activities and a visit from Santa, visitors celebrated the holiday spirit while exploring the new facility. Guests left a lasting reminder of their well wishes for the House by writing thoughtful notes for families on scraps of fabric. These mementos will be added to the fabric sculpture started during the morning’s ribbon cutting ceremony.

This grand opening comes after RMHC-ACT’s 2006 announcement of a $9.5 million fundraising campaign to build a new home. Of this, $3 million was contributed by employees of Temple-Inland throughout its 15 years of fundraising efforts. Since February 2006, RMHC-ACT has raised another $8.6 million through its capital campaign targeted to the general public and business leaders.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas
Since 1985, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas (RMHC-ACT) has provided services to thousands of families whose children are seeking treatment at Austin-area hospitals. RMHC-ACT serves the 46 counties surrounding the city of Austin and Central Texas. As part of the worldwide Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), RMHC-ACT is committed to helping families of critically ill or injured children, giving them a place to rest, eat and share experiences with families of other children in similar situations. Other services provided by RMHC-ACT include administering grant money provided by RMHC Global to local organizations sharing a similar focus on children’s issues, supporting an annual scholarship program and providing burial assistance and grief counseling to families who have experienced the loss of a child. For more information or to donate to the capital campaign, please visit www.rmhc-austin.org.

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