02 Mar More Than A Partnership

There’s no doubt Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas is part of the JE Dunn Construction family.

For JE Dunn, being involved with RMHC-CTX goes beyond cooking meals for families or attending their wonderful fundraisers. Trust us though, we love being part of those moments.
For the JE Dunn family, RMHC connects on a deeper level because we have been on the receiving end of the RMHC care and shelter when our children were hospitalized and in critical condition.
”‘Living’ in a hospital for days and being away from home is draining, especially during a time of high stress, high emotion and high fear. But no way were we going to be far from our child,” says Chris Szeliga, Vice President of JE Dunn Construction in Austin.
Chris and his wife, parents of two, have had one child undergo several surgeries for cranial facial reconstruction. It was during their time at Children’s Mercy Hospital that RMHC provided a place to get away and take a break from the machines, the monitors, the alarms, and the medical staff and still be very near their daughter.
“RMHC provided a brief getaway with all the comforts of home and helped our family through our daughter’s procedures. We are very grateful and appreciative of all that RMHC does for our families and community,” says Chris.
For years JE Dunn has been a national supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities. We hope no person needs to be in a situation that leads them to the RMHC. But when these situations arise, we’re reminded how necessary RMHC is to all families.
“I had always thought RMHC was a nice charity and enjoyed providing dinners in the past with JE Dunn, but had always thought it was intended to help low income families that couldn’t afford a place to stay,” said AJ Bloomquist, Project Manager with JE Dunn Construction in Austin. “Two years ago RMHC took on a whole new meaning when myself, my wife and two kids (ages 10 and 12 then) were driving back from a nice family vacation in New Mexico and a semi pulled out in front of us on the highway. WHAM!!! In an instant, in the middle of nowhere, our lives were turned upside down.
We were all taken to a nearby, small-town hospital where we were all checked out and found out my daughter had multiple fractures of her cheek bone and eye socket and had to be rushed to the nearest trauma center in Lubbock, TX. We didn’t have any of our luggage, had never been to Lubbock and didn’t know anyone there.
It was at the hospital that the nurse mentioned the RMHC as a potential option for the rest of us to stay while my daughter recovered in the hospital. They checked it out and found that they had an open room. Not only was it a conveniently close to the hospital, but it was so much more, providing us meals, counseling and information on the area, toiletries, and best of all, emotional support. The employees as well as the other residents became a new family that we could talk to and lean on for support during a very difficult time.
RMHC will always be our angel and we will continue to support it and the people in it for as long as we are able,” said AJ.
When JE Dunn champions a cause, we think about how our values and the organization’s values will align. It was no surprise we saw the RMHC as a partner. They work directly with the medical community to be a source of support and home-away-from-home for all families. They’re an amazing friend to thousands, and that includes our people too.