VERTO General Manager of Apprenticeships, Jason Foster, has described participating in the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Northern NSW CEO Walk In My Shoes event as alife-changing experience.

Mr Foster joined nine business leaders from across the Hunter and Central Coast regions in the two-day exercise, which gave participants a first-hand look at what is involved in running the day-to-day operations of the house, as well as raising awareness and funds for the vitally important charity.

“Although I had a basic idea of what Ronald McDonald House does, to see it with my own eyes and to understand their day-to-day operations was truly life-changing,” Mr Foster said.

“I learnt that fundamentally RMHC is an extraordinary organisation that ensures parents and children who are going through traumatic events have at least their food and accommodation needs looked after.

“The people who work and volunteer at RMHC are amazing people, led by an incredibly passionate and caring CEO Ross Bingham. 

“It is vitally important that not only VERTO, but the entire Northern NSW region continues to support RMHC in any way we can because they do incredibly important work in our local area.”

Mr Foster raised just short of two weeks’ worth of food, accommodation, and essentials to support families of seriously ill or injured children.  

“I felt honoured and humbled that so many business leaders were willing to give up their valuable time, not only to learn about RMHC and what it’s like for families, but to also step out of their comfort zone and immerse themselves in the experience of what it’s like to be woken up in the middle of the night with an uncertain outcome and operate sleep deprived the following day,” RMHC Northern NSW CEO Ross Bingham said.

“It was a privilege to work alongside Jason as he fully embraced the experience. I could see how he was physically and emotionally impacted, as we all were, with the activities. In particular, the personal stories that the families shared throughout the exercise.”

VERTO CEO Ron Maxwell added, “At VERTO, we absolutely love everything RMHC stand for and we’re very proud to continue to support such an outstanding organisation.”

“This financial year alone, VERTO has donated more than $22,000 to RMHC Northern NSW, and more than $6,000 to RMHC Orange – all of which will go to families that need it during extremely difficult times.

“We’re looking forward to continuing our support of RMHC in 2022, and I encourage other like-minded business leaders to consider doing the same.”