A grant from the Frank and Evelyn Schmidt Family Foundation, with work from Tangram Interiors, made possible the renovation for the Day Room at the Ronald McDonald House in Madera. Photos by Gabriel Dillard

The Day Room at the Ronald McDonald House — used by families on a waiting list for a guest suite at the facility housing families at Valley Children’s Hospital — has a new look thanks to the philanthropic efforts of Business Journal’s Associate Publisher Ashley Webster-Rudolph.

Webster-Rudolph teamed up with her family’s charitable organization, the Frank & Evelyn Schmidt Family Foundation, to provide a grant for the project along with Tangram Interiors in Fresno doing the renovation and design work.

 

Webster-Rudolph saw the room this week for the first time since the project was completed.

“When the opportunity became available for my family’s foundation to donate to the Day Room, we did not hesitate one bit. We know how important the Day Room is and we are honored to be able to help fund this remodel,” Webster-Rudolph said.

 

The Day Room — 1,000 square feet with a private living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, laundry room and outdoor patio — is available for families of children hospitalized at Valley Children’s for up to eight hours per day as they wait for a guest suite to become available.

It served 640 families in 2019 alone, and was in need of major upgrades.

Jen Karibian, sales and design consultant for Tangram Interiors, worked on the remodel.

“At Tangram, we believe that the heart of the company lies within the communities in which we live and serve. We are passionate about giving back and doing our part to better the Valley where we can,” Karibian said. “My hope for this space is that it brings each family that stays here a little comfort during a trying time.”