I moved to Greenville in June of 2010, planning on making a name for myself in the Sport's Information Industry by taking a job with USC Upstate. I had previously worked for Indiana University (my alma mater) and UNC Pembroke (internship) in the SID world and was excited to take the next step in my career. 

However, what I loved most about Greenville was the vibrant young professional network and, while I did land that job at USC Upstate, I didn't feel as "plugged in" with the Greenville community as I was hoping for. 

So, I quit my job during the peak of a recession (or is it a valley? ... either way) and decided to waitress at a local restaurant hoping to network with people to find my next "gig". Well - it worked! I waited on a table of soccer players who played on a team with an employee at Robert Half and heard that their Greenville office was hiring. A phone call, a couple of interviews, and 2 weeks later I started my "Dream Job" as a Staffing Manager in our Downtown Greenville office.

Robert Half gave me the opportunity to directly impact people's lives right here in the town that I was growing to love. I worked almost exclusively with the unemployed population and my clients paid me to find them top talent for their organizations. It was more than just staffing, it was match making and I was hooked.

About two years into the role, I was introduced to then Red Shoe Society president - Josh Morris - who happened to take a position with our Robert Half Technology office. He asked me to attend an event that November - a black tie event called the Greenville Royale which, back then, was the main fundraising event for RSS. I went to the event and was touched immediately by stories of the families that had passed through the Ronald McDonald House in Greenville and wanted to learn more. 

The first time I went to the House, I was cooking dinner with the Red Shoe Society and got a full tour. Seeing the 12 bedrooms where my money would go and the families, who would be impacted most by my direct volunteer hours, sparked a love for a new community within Greenville that I wanted to dedicate myself to. The experience reminded me a lot of the three years I spent in college participating with the Indiana University Dance Marathon – a fundraiser for Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, IN – in which we were the second run student organization to EVER raise over $1M for charity.

To say I was in is an understatement.

Now, those of you who don’t know me – let me explain a little more about my personality and this all-or-nothing approach. I am not big into astrology but I will say that even though I am a Gemini on accident (I was 2 weeks late… sorry mom) I do live that “twin” sign to a tee. On the scale of 1-10 in life you will very rarely see me at a 5 or 6 – it is 2 or 8 all the way. With that being said – I took this thing full throttle, I mean we are talking an 11 here, easy.

I served on the volunteer committee for Red Shoe Society during my first year on the Board of Directors and we boasted our best in fundraising numbers with a check for over $7k towards the house for a weekend long event (!!!!) I worked with that volunteer committee for another 3 years before taking on the task of leading our RSS team as their president. During my inaugural year we hosted the first ever Plane Pull event and raised over $10,000 for a 4 hour event – IN IT’S FIRST YEAR!

So, as fate would have it, I have the opportunity to do something new, again ?

This is the first year for the “Wear Your Stripes #forRMHC” campaign, ever, in the whole world, and I would love your help in setting an example of what we can do within our own networks for the other RMH communities across the country.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RMHCC AND THIS FUNDRAISER:

Many families travel far from home and spend several weeks or months to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children – a long time to be away or to divide a family. And, for children facing a serious medical crisis, nothing seems scarier than not having mom and dad close by for love and support. That’s right – our house right here in Greenville provides a place for families to call home so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little to no cost. 

This comes from on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. In the grand scheme of things, we believe that when a child is hospitalized the love and support of family is as powerful as the strongest medicine prescribed.

Allow Families to Face the Weight of Illness Together 

• Families are stronger when they are together, which helps in the healing process. By staying at a Ronald McDonald House, parents also can better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed. They can also focus on the health of their child, rather than grocery shopping, cleaning or cooking meals.

Allow Children to Get the Best Care 

• When your child is sick, you want the best care possible – even if it is hundreds or thousands of miles away. The Ronald McDonald House allows families to access specialized medical treatment by providing a place to stay at little or sometimes no cost.

Services for Families 

• Here in Greenville and at every House, families can enjoy:
• Home-cooked meals
• Private bedrooms
• Playrooms for children

The generosity of volunteers and donors make it all possible. In return, families either stay at no cost or are asked to make a donation up to $10 per day. However, the RMHC Global Policy is that families are never turned away; if it’s not possible to pay, the fee is waived.

This is your chance to make an impact, this is your chance to make a difference, this is your chance to give.

#FTK

For The Kids

THANK YOU - Carlie ?

In 2017:

• We served 411 families with an average stay of 10 nights/family
• The longest stay was 156 nights with a family from Greenwood, SC
• Families came from 11 different states and 4 countries to take advantage of our 7 partner hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Logest distance traveled for a Family = 2,134 miles from Trinidad and Tobago