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Locally and internationally renowned and award-winning Pastry Chef, Antonio Bachour, is hosting a month-long Mother’s Day fundraiser benefiting the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of South Florida in May for the second consecutive year.
The charity, which provides a “home away from home” for families whose children are receiving lifesaving treatment at nearby hospitals, holds a special place in Chef Bachour’s heart. When he was just 15 years old, he survived a deadly brush with pituitary gland cancer. He and his mom travelled from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia where he received life-saving treatment and stayed at the Ronald McDonald House there.
“Thankfully, we never felt alone, because we were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House with other families who were going through similar situations and we had the support of a caring and helpful staff,” said Bachour. “The House was a warm and familial environment and is very different from staying in a hotel. Their social workers even helped my mom fill out paperwork because she didn’t speak English. It was a huge weight off her already burdened shoulders.”
In honor of his mother and all the mothers who care for their sick children at the Ronald McDonald House, Bachour decided to host another Mother’s Day fundraiser benefiting RMHC of South Florida. This year, the funds raised will be going toward an extra special and exciting initiative: ‘Hope Has a New Home.’
‘Hope Has a New Home’ is a capital campaign to raise money for the construction of a new Ronald McDonald House in Miami, which will not only double the number of families the charity will be able to serve, but will also be more accessible, modern and comfortable.
“Our current House is full almost every night of the year and we always have a wait list. We currently only have the space to serve 31 families a night, but the demand is much greater,” said RMHC of South Florida Executive Director Soraya Rivera-Moya. “Our new House will have a total of 54 rooms designed to accommodate four guests, along with functional and comfortable communal areas such as a kitchen, dining spaces and recreational rooms, and will be located just steps from Holtz Children’s Hospital on the Jackson campus. It will give us the space and opportunity to admit more families than we ever have and give them the comfort and support they deserve, so they can focus on what matters most… their child.”
Bachour will be donating 10% of all Petit Gateaux, Bonbons & Macarons sales from two of his restaurants (listed below) during May.
· Bachour Bakery & Restaurant in Coral Gables, 2020 Salzedo St, Miami, FL 33134
· Bachour Restaurant & Bar, 8405 NW 53rd St, Doral, FL 33166
“RMHC was the support system and home-away-from-home that my mother and I needed while I was going through surgery and recuperation as a sick child. I cannot imagine what we would’ve done if the House didn’t have the space to host us,” said Bachour. “That is why, this year, I will be donating all of the funds we raise in our Mother’s Day Fundraiser directly to ‘Hope Has A New Home,’ to help build a bigger and better Ronald McDonald House in Miami. I want to help make sure that every family that needs a place to stay while their child is being treated in South Florida has a home-away-from-home like I did.”
ABOUT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES®
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation that creates, finds, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. RMHC helps families with ill or injured children stay together, and close to the medical care their child needs at leading hospitals worldwide. RMHC programs not only provide access to quality health care, they enable family-centered care ensuring families are fully supported and actively involved in their children’s care. RMHC South Florida 31 bedroom facility is located on the grounds of Jackson Memorial Hospital. Also that is has helped more than 30,000 families since 1982. For more information, visit www.rmhcsouthflorida.org
