Press Releases
05/06/2019
Celebration of 387 Lenox Street
Celebration of 387 Lenox Street
Ronald McDonald House launches new respite care program in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Ronald McDonald House in Springfield is launching a new program in an effort to fill a gap in care. The executive director said their facility is seeing an increasing need for short-term stays.
There are 183 Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide. The Springfield Ronald McDonald House is the only one in western Massachusetts.
“When folks are in this house, and they’re all talking, and they’re talking about their experiences, they realize they’re not alone,” Executive Director Michelle D’Amore said.
Krista Parker is from Winchester, New Hampshire. She’s staying at the Springfield Ronald McDonald House while her premature-born baby girl Emma is cared for at Baystate Children’s Hospital.
“She was born at 30 weeks, so she needed some assistance when she was first born,” Krista Parker said. “To be able to be right down the street from the hospital and able to get our care.”
Representatives of Avangrid, the parent company of Berkshire Gas, helped to cut the ribbon Thursday afternoon on a new respite care program at Ronald McDonald House. A charitable arm of Avangrid donated money to Springfield Ronald McDonald House, so they could make improvements to the house. The new respite allows parents to reserve a room for up to three hours.
“A little time to get away from the hospital to rest, rejuvenate, and get back to their child and face the challenges they’re facing as a family,” D’Amore said.
Parker told 22News she’s hopeful that little Emma will be released from the hospital in a few weeks.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
