RMHC Volunteer Thank You Dinner

Last week, members of the Robson Team, including Grant and Melissa Robson, attended the National Volunteer Week Thank You Dinner at McDonald Jones Stadium, hosted by Ronald McDonald House Charities – Northern NSW (RMHC NNSW).

The event was a wonderful occasion, celebrating and getting to know those who generously give their time to support seriously ill children and their families during challenging times, with over 110 volunteers in attendance.

Ross Bingham, RMHC NNSW CEO, reflected on the significant changes over the past few years. He mentioned that post-COVID, volunteer numbers had declined to approximately 58, Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern NSW and all of their programs were significantly impacted with periods of time when things like the the family room at John Hunter Children’s Hospital couldn’t open. The House was operating, but unfortunately the family Rooms in John Hunter Hospital and Gosford Hospital or the family retreats in Taree could not.

Thanks to Robson Civil Projects’ partnership, intensive recruitment campaigns were launched through various media platforms, as well as onboarding and training provided to new volunteers, resulting in around 330 now volunteering at the charity throughout the region. Consequently, Ronald McDonald Houses across Newcastle and Tamworth, family rooms in John Hunter Childrens Hospital and Gosford Hospital and the Retreat are now enjoying significantly increased numbers of volunteers, allowing more families to receive support. Moreover, new uniforms were able to be provided to all volunteers, fostering a sense of pride among them.

Robson is committed to continuing its partnership with RMHC NNSW as the Charity’s mission holds a special place in Grant and Melissa Robson’s hearts.

Melissa shared a personal story about the challenges she and Grant faced when she unexpectedly went into labour at 27 weeks with their first son. She highlighted the absence of a support network like RMHC at the time, which made their situation more difficult, given their distance from the hospital.

Robson’s Managing Director, Grant Robson expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to helping families facing similar tough circumstances “To know that we’re able to contribute in some way to help make extremely tough times for families, just that bit more bearable is great”, said Grant.

With a legacy of over 60 years as a family business, Robson values a people-focused approach in all aspects of our operations. This is evident in our collaborative project delivery, how we care for our employees, and our commitment to giving back to the communities in which we operate.

Our employees also know our intrinsic values, and an example of this is Sean Humphries, an employee of 16 years, who has initiated a Return & Earn Program across all offices and job sites to raise additional funds for RMHC NNSW.

As Robson enters a third year of partnership with RMCH Northern NSW, we express gratitude to all the staff for their dedicated work in recruiting and training nearly 300 volunteers over the past two years. We also take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers for their invaluable contributions to RMHC NNSW and the positive impact they have on seriously ill children and their families.

RMHC Northern NSW’s goal is to reach 400 volunteers, and the charity offers a range of diverse volunteer roles. If you’ve ever considered volunteering, please visit https://nnswfundraising.rmhc.org.au/volunteers for more information or to register your interest.