“The Night That Love Built” Comes to Stevens Point

“The Night That Love Built” raised founds for and brought awareness to the Ronald McDonald House in Marshfield.

The Ronald McDonald House is a foundation that provides for families with children who are undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals. These houses provide housing, food and support as a home away from home.

The recent event for this foundation featured live music by Boogie and the Yoyo’z, a formal dance, food, drinks and raffle prizes. Approximately $6,000 was raised from entry ticket and raffle ticket purchases.

Raffle prizes donated from Wisconsin businesses totaled more than $12,000. From Milwaukee Bucks tickets to a personalized Ronald McDonald House themed fireplace.

Over $15,000 was donated from corporate sponsors including the title sponsor, McDonald’s.

Kayla Cywinski, junior public relations major, helped organize the event. She had been working on it since Oct. of 2015.

“We have a house and we have something we can do to give these families a little bit of piece of mind. That to me is more than anything,” Cywinski said.

Heidi Fish, board member of Ronald McDonald, and her husband Brian Fish, owner-operator of a McDonalds location, have personal ties to the Ronald McDonald House. Two and a half years ago, their twin daughters were born premature. At times throughout their twins’ recovery the Fish family was housed at a Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee.

“We had a new founding appreciation and understanding for the House,” Heidi Fish said.

Brian Fish’s father, owner and operator of ten McDonalds locations in Wisconsin, opened the Marshfield House in 1983. He now sits as treasurer on the Board of Directors.

Once a spot on the Board of Directors of Ronald McDonald opened, Heidi Fish volunteered, along with the task of organizing this fundraising event. She is particularly grateful to Cywinski for her help.

“This event would not have happened without her,” Heidi Fish said.

Other volunteers came from the community as well as University-Wisconsin Stevens Point students from organizations such as Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Mu Alpha, Sigma Tau Gamma, and Public Relations Student Society of America.

Ashley Wood, sophomore accounting major, volunteered at the event.

“It turned out really great. It’s a greater turnout than we could have hoped,” Wood said.

Paige Rudick

Reporter

Paige.A.Rudick@uwsp.edu