For over 25 years, the Masonic fraternity has raised money for the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester. The Have-A-Heart fundraiser was established by the Rochester area Masons in February of 1988. With the community’s support, it has raised over $430,000 for the local Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, NY, Inc. provides a “home-away-from-home” to families while their children receive the medical care they need. Services are offered at the Westmoreland House, the House within the Hospital and the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Golisano Children’s Hospital, and the Family Lounge at Rochester General Hospital.
Fundraising efforts have been through the annual Have-A-Heart campaign inside area malls. Local Masonic Lodges, along with concordant and allied masonic bodies, volunteered their time at area malls each February to solicit donations from mall patrons. Mall patrons, in return for a donation, would post a paper heart at the mall with their name(s) or the names of persons who are important to them.
The pandemic, while complicating fundraising efforts, will not cancel it. The effort is now online. Donations can be made at either www.haveaheartrochester.org/ or www.facebook.com/haveaheartrochester.
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