Jason Rains, in-house designer at La-Z-Boy Research and Development in Dayton, Tenn., used scrap material and recycled fiber to create a six foot teddy bear, called a “La-Z-Bear,” to donate to the Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House. Rains’s idea came about when his son mentioned he wanted to woo his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day. Seeing his initial creation was such a success, he decided to make another one for RMHC.
The development director of the Chattanooga RMHC, Tiffany Cobb, said, “This gift is very appropriate for the relationship between La-Z-Boy and RMHC of Greater Chattanooga as both organizations believe in families and providing comfort to them.”
As the official furniture provider of RMHC Global, La-Z-Boy provides complimentary furniture to Ronald McDonald Houses and Family Rooms throughout the U.S. and Canada. Since the beginning of La-Z-Boy’s partnership with RMHC Global in 2008, they have donated nearly 6,000 pieces of furniture. They also provide support through a variety of local and national fundraising RMHC events and promotions; all monetary donations are collected and distributed to local chapters.
The La-Z-Boy Distribution Center in Dayton has a proactive relationship with the Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House. For the past two years, they have donated a sofa and chair to be built on air and auctioned off during RMHC’s annual Telethon.
For more information, visit www.rmhchattanooga.com or www.lazyboy.com.
About Ronald McDonald House
Charities of Greater Chattanooga
Established in 1990, Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House Charities provides a “home away from home” each year for approximately 600 families of critically injured and seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals in Chattanooga. RMHC of Greater Chattanooga is an independent, 501(c) 3 registered non-profit that operates solely on donations from individuals, businesses and foundations. The cornerstone programs are the 26-bedroom Ronald McDonald House; Ronald McDonald Family Room, located inside Erlanger’s Children’s Hospital; and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a full medical clinic to underserved, school-age children in Bradley and Polk Counties. Ronald McDonald House Charities also offers up to 50, $1,000 scholarships to area high school seniors.