Charity ride raises toys and funds for Springfield Ronald McDonald House

Dozens of riders turned a scenic weekend ride into something much more immediate for Lane County families: toys for children and money for parents and caregivers staying at Springfield’s Ronald McDonald House while a child receives medical treatment at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center RiverBend.

The third annual Ronald McDonald Charity Ride began at the McDonald’s on Gateway Boulevard in Cottage Grove and finished about an hour later near the hospital in Springfield. Members of the Oregon Riders Society and Mid Valley Cruisers took part, helping turn the event into a rolling fundraiser with a very local destination and a practical payoff for families under medical strain.

That payoff is concrete. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon & Southwest Washington says the Springfield house provides housing, meals, programs and support at no cost to guest families. It also supports 10 adult patient family rooms, giving relatives a place to stay close to care instead of paying for hotels or making repeated drives back and forth across Lane County.

For families with a child at RiverBend, that proximity can change the shape of a crisis. Parents can remain nearby for rounds, procedures and sudden changes in condition, while volunteers and donors help cover the basics that would otherwise add to the pressure. The Springfield site was the first Ronald McDonald House in Springfield, a sign of how much need exists around the region’s major pediatric care center.

Kara Campbell, who hosted the ride at her Cottage Grove McDonald’s, said the day was exhilarating and said the biker community was generous with both toys and support. The ride’s registration fees were modest, with different amounts for single riders and two-up riders, and the proceeds went directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

The event also fit into a broader local pattern of support for families at RiverBend. Volunteers there have helped stock a hospitality cart with free hot drinks, snacks, games, phone chargers and other comfort items for families with sick and injured children, and Willamette Oaks seniors in Eugene have also been training for a 5K to support Ronald McDonald House. For Lane County, that network of small efforts adds up to a sturdier safety net when families need it most.