MAMMOTH MAKE SPECIAL VISIT TO RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

Mammoth players Tom Ethington, Jamie Shewchuk and Nenad Gajic as well as members of the Wild Bunch dance team made a special visit to the Aurora Ronald McDonald House on Wednesday, August 26.

The players and dancers hosted an ice-cream social, signed autographs and distributed team-branded items to the children and their families. Following the social, the players even took a few of the children outside for an impromptu lacrosse clinic.

"The challenges these kids have faced in their young lives are incredible - it really makes me appreciate more all of the things we sometimes take for granted," said Mammoth transition player, Nenad Gajic. "If we can do something (like this appearance) that brings a smile to their face, whether that's signing an autograph or playing catch outside, I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

The Aurora Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home-away-from-home for families of children being treated at area hospitals, opened its doors in 2008 and houses up to 45 families per night.

According to Kendra Ingles, the program coordinator for the Ronald McDonald House, the average family stays about two weeks. There are, however, multiple transplant patients that have been at the Aurora Ronald McDonald House for over two months.

"This visit was incredibly uplifting for the children and their families," said Ingles. "Although we have an amazing facility, the children do sometimes get bored. Visits like this help them think about something other than being in the hospital and being sick."

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House, please visit www.RonaldHouse.org

For a photo gallery of the event, click here.