While, for many, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” filled with joy, celebration and family, for families with terminally ill children, preparing for and enjoying the holiday season is a little harder. It could be the last holiday spent with a child or just coping with balancing the hustle and bustle of the season while spending time in the hospital but the holidays can be the most difficult time of the year for those families battling illness.

In New York’s Capital Region and in other communities across the country, that’s where Ronald McDonald Houses (RMHC) can make a big difference.

At sites like the Albany Ronald McDonald House and the Ronald McDonald Family Retreat at Krantz Cottage in Lake George, NY, staff want to bring joy to the families who are away from their own homes during the holiday season and have a child in the hospital.

For the last 13 years, National Grid employees have volunteered their time to help make the holiday season a little brighter for families staying at those locations by decorating both the house in Albany and the Family Retreat at Krantz Cottage with (high efficiency) lights, trees and festive wreaths. Dozens of our employees volunteered their time and energy to make the holiday season – literally – a little brighter for those who need it most.

Our giving doesn’t stop there. National Grid electric safety employee Stephen Blydenburg went one step further by collecting donations for RMHC from National Grid employees in the Warrensburg, Ticonderoga and Hudson areas. With a company match, last year the effort raised $13,000 for RMHC.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to volunteer for this since the beginning, which is 12 years ago. It’s important to me and all of the people who are here (volunteering and decorating) to be able to give back to the community – to the kids who are going through what they’re going through – to be able to have a little normalcy for the holidays,” Blydenburgh said.

In addition to the work in Albany, this was the second year that National Grid employees volunteered their time to decorate Krantz Cottage in Lake George. The Family Retreat serves as a home away from the hospital where families experiencing childhood illness can enjoy being together and make lasting memories.

In July 2020, Anna Labella was battling terminal bone cancer and she and her family were the first to stay at the cottage. While Anna succumbed to her disease last August, her memory lives on in the home, where a paining she made is displayed on the wall of one of the first-floor bedrooms. Staying at this home also gave her family some wonderful memories of their time with her. After Labella passed, her family spent time at the Lake George retreat to remember her.

The uniqueness of the Krantz College is that it offers entire families a brief respite from coping with illness and – especially during the holiday season – those memories last long after the patient has passed.

That little bit of lasting light – coupled with the lights strung by National Grid volunteers – makes the season a little brighter for all.