Philadelphia Chapter Bakes Treats for Sick Kids

By Rose Cahalan in Chapters on February 23, 2012 at 2:50 pm | No Comments

For families undergoing any parent’s worst nightmare—the severe illness of a child—life can be so focused on the big things, like survival and paying the bills, that there isn’t room for the little things that bring comfort and normalcy in a time of crisis.

That’s where the Texas Exes Philadelphia Chapter comes in. They spent a recent Saturday baking cookies and other sweets for sick children and their families staying at a local Ronald McDonald House. Another crew of Philly exes pitched in to clean a second branch of the house. Altogether, about a dozen people helped out.

Dana M. D’Orazio, MPAff  ’09, the chapter’s scholarship chair, led the event as part of Texas Exes Care About the Project. D’Orazio says meeting the families who received the baked goods they prepared made for a rewarding experience.

“People would pass by the kitchen and thank us,” she says, “letting us know that this simple act of providing baked goods meant so much to them.”

Even more rewarding, says D’Orazio, was the spirit of service that the event sparked in the alumni. The chapter members agreed that making volunteering a regular activity was a must. “All of the volunteers expressed an interest in coming back and incorporating the Ronald McDonald House in their daily lives,” D’Orazio says.

Photo courtesy Dana D’Orazio

Tags: Philadelphia Longhorns, Philadelphia Texas Exes, ronald mcdonald house, Ronald McDonald House Philadelphia, texas exes care about the project, Texas Exes Philadelphia Chapter