A hospital stay can be rough on patients and their families. But thanks to some construction professionals, the COAA and PMWeb, a little cheer is being brought to the Ronald McDonald House Maryland and Kennedy Krieger Institute.
It’s a new Happy Wheels Hospitality Cart.
Designed to support families with hospitalized children, the cart will make the rounds throughout the hospital offering comfort to patients and their loved ones.
“This allows us to give them a little snack, some waters, a blanket, an activity for kids who don’t want to be in a waiting room,” said Michelle Horine, Ronald McDonald House Executive Director.*
On May 11th through 13th, construction industry professionals came together for the Construction Association of America (COAA) annual spring conference and built an adorable cart. This cart, sponsored by PMWeb, a construction project management software, was donated to the Ronald McDonald House Maryland and Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Throughout the conference, attendees worked diligently to create the well-crafted cart on wheels.
“If you were at lunch on Friday at COAA Connect in Baltimore, you witnessed firsthand the thrill and excitement of the Ronald McDonald House Maryland and Kennedy Krieger Institute staff members at the finished Happy Wheels Cart! If you weren’t there, you missed a very heartwarming moment,” says Jill McKenzie, Manager of Membership and Sponsorship for the COAA.
Pictured below, Bobby Brown from PMWeb says “as a software company, our product is used on projects like hospitals, campuses and research centers. To have the opportunity to work side-by-side with volunteer architects, designers, engineers, and project managers to build and provide a Happy-Wheels Cart directly to the Ronald McDonald House Baltimore and Kennedy Krieger Institute was beyond fulfilling. This experience with such fellow caring construction professionals was extremely rewarding especially when we delivered the Happy-Wheels Cart. Both the Ronald McDonald House and Kennedy Krieger Institute stated that they were ‘over the moon to accept something so needed’.”
Bobby Brown also assisted in the construction of the COAA Cares “Happy Wheels” cart that was made at the national COAA Connect Fall 2021 conference for the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Las Vegas. The finished product was an adorable 4’ x 2’ pushcart on five casters with drawers, bins, and shelves painted to resemble the desert setting – complete with requisite cactus.
COAA wants to recognize and thank the many people who made the cart possible but especially:
- Corey Andrus, HGA;
- Carli Cole, HGA;
- Tina Montone, Conspectus;
- Cy Rangel, Purdue;
- Joe Sprys (retired Owner) and
first-time participants and enthusiastic contributors:
- Bobby Brown, PMWeb (whose firm, PMWeb, was also the materials sponsor for the cart);
- Jim Chandler, UMB;
- Sarah Delphin, MD Anderson;
- Justin Peak, Christman.
And finally, Liam Kenney and Kate Switzer, JPK & Associates.
And to John Lawrence, Whiting-Turner who connected the COAA Cares team with JPK & Associates.
The COAA Cares team hopes to continue similar projects at both the national and chapter level.
