Many years ago, SKC Enterprises Inc. dba Rent One Founder and CEO Larry Carrico and Dan Harbaugh, former President of Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis, forged a personal relationship that turned into a professional partnership.
Over the years, Rent One has donated products to Ronald McDonald Houses, while company coworkers have made financial contributions to the charity, which have been matched by both the company and the Carrico family.
Recently, the Carrico family of brands, including Rent One, RNR Tire Express – Midwest, and LDC Properties, was honored to sponsor a playroom in the new Ronald McDonald House St. Louis, as well as furnish the facility with more than 100 televisions. The new building, located close to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, was designed to combine several older facilities into a single larger, more modern campus intended to serve more families than ever.
“Many of the communities we serve are hours from major medical centers,” said Kelly Martin, Rent One Chief Operating Officer. “So there’s a good chance that when one of our customers, coworkers, or their families face a serious medical situation, Ronald McDonald House may be the place that supports them. That’s why this partnership feels so personal to us, and why we’re proud to continue investing in their mission.”
Ronald McDonald House provides a home-away-from-home to families with seriously ill children seeking medical treatment in St. Louis. The new facility offers comfortable accommodations, great meals, gathering spaces, support services, and opportunities to connect with others facing similar challenges. Families are asked to pay only $15/night for $150/night accommodations, and no one is ever turned away for being unable to pay.
Supporting Families by Facilitating Play
“Community involvement has always been central to Rent One as a company,” Carrico said. “We believe strong businesses have a responsibility to help strengthen the communities around them, so our goal is to make a meaningful difference wherever we operate. Just this year, we expect to support about 100 charitable organizations through our Great Expectations Foundation.”
Joining family members Larry, Sharon, and Steven Carrico, and Kelly, Doug, and Axel Martin on a tour of their sponsored playroom and the rest of the campus were all levels of leadership, including Rent One President Trent Agin, VP of Human Resources Mike Appel, VP of Sales and Marketing Mark Williams, Product Specialist Terry Mclean, and store managers from the St. Louis metro area Lamont Fields, Ennis Hinton, and Douglas Manns. They were awestruck by the scale of the facility – which can accommodate dozens of families simultaneously – as well as the broad spectrum of support Ronald McDonald House provides for families.
Rent One’s sponsored playroom is designed to give children – either patients or their siblings – a place to play, create, explore, and just be kids during an otherwise traumatic and uncertain time of their lives.
“The playroom represents something simple but incredibly important – a chance for children to be children,” said Agin. “Knowing families can step away from the stress of medical treatment, even for a little while, makes this partnership especially meaningful for our organization.”
“When you walk through the Ronald McDonald House, you quickly realize this is so much more than a building,” Carrico said. “It’s a place where families find comfort, support, and hope during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. We’re honored to play a small role in helping create that experience for the families they serve.”
