Carter Credit Union held a reception on March 2, 2023, at Eastridge Country Club for Ronald McDonald House executives. Carter’s goal was to introduce local business executives to the Ronald McDonald House project planned for the city. “Carter was fortunate to get connected to the CEO of RMH, Janell Mason through our current credit union relationships. This connection has allowed us to assist them in making connections here in the Shreveport/Bossier market,” said Joe Arnold, CEO.
“The way this has gone in six short months is just amazing,” said Janell Mason, Chief Executive Officer of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas. “I’ve done capital campaigns before, and I’ve watched how they go. This one got off to a great start. We’re talking with foundations and donors of all sizes. We need gifts of every size. Obviously, we want the bigger gifts, but we’re going to give the community an opportunity to be a part of this project.”
There are more than 180 Ronald McDonald Houses in the United States. Each offers a home-away-from-home for families of hospitalized, critically ill children. The Shreveport-Bossier House is expected to have 22 bedrooms throughout its three-story, 25,000 square feet. Officials are hopeful for an early 2025 opening.
“When the request to become a sponsor/donor was brought to me, this was something that immediately resonated with the credit union’s philosophy of “people helping people” so it was an easy yes”, said Arnold. And more importantly, Carter is a locally owned FI that truly believes in supporting locals. It was important to us to stand with Willis Knighton Health Systems that has supported our local communities for 100 years. Carter is supportive in all the communities we serve, it is just part of who we are, and this will be something that will help others for a lifetime, so we are proud of that.”
One of the “bigger gifts” to the proposed local Ronald McDonald House was given by Carter Credit Union, a locally-owned financial institution. This donation is Carter’s largest single donation in its history – $100,000 – to be Ronald McDonald House’s technology sponsor.
“We pride ourselves on being the most technology-forward financial institution in the area,” said Joe Arnold, Carter’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’re really proud of that and thought it was a natural fit for us to associate ourselves with the technology.”
For Arnold, making such a large donation brought back childhood memories.
“If you asked, ‘Hey, Joe, where did you grow up?’ it’s either the Dallas area or a McDonald’s drive-thru,” Arnold said. “I have known about the Ronald McDonald House almost my entire life. Obviously, a lot of that was in the early days, associating with Ronald McDonald as a kid. To think that my entire life I’ve known about this charitable organization, and fast-forward to now, where we can be on the ground floor of bringing this tremendous charity to our community – that’s really cool.”
To learn more about the local Ronald McDonald House-and how you can donate, you may visit www.rmhshreveportbossier.org.