Mile after mile: This Texas kid ran to help Ronald McDonald House support more families
Love and a supportive place are things Caris Colwick remembers when staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth.
Caris’ younger siblings were born premature at 27 weeks in 2015. The Colwick family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House when the triplets were in the hospital. One of the triplets, Andrew, died 20 days after birth.
“The Ronald McDonald House has always held a special place in my heart,” she said. “Since COVID, they weren’t able to do as many in-person fundraising activities so I decided that I could help out.”
Caris, 11, raised nearly $10,000 last December by doing something she loves — running. This month, the organization’s staff gave her their “Extra Mile Award”, which was a surprise to her. Caris said she was very thankful and excited to receive the award.
The Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth provides a place to stay for families with children in the hospital. It is located a block from Cook Children’s Hospital. Many of the families needing help live outside of Fort Worth and need a place to stay long-term, like the Colwick family who live in Glen Rose.
Raising money through running
When Caris was thinking about how to raise funds, her dad helped come up with the idea of running. It is one of Caris’ favorite sports. She began running when participating in a school club in the third grade.
She used email and social media to spread the word about her fundraising challenge.
“I’m taking pledges and challenges per mile to see how many miles I can run in the month of December,” her email stated. “Any challenge is welcome, 25 cents, 50 cents, $1, $2, $5, $10, $50, or even $100 per mile.”
Mile after mile, she persisted. Caris ran inside a gym during bad weather. She ran 100 miles at the end of her fundraising challenge. Her younger siblings, Caroline and Claire, were able to watch Caris achieve her goal. Caris’ longest run was 10 miles on Christmas Eve.
Caris said her favorite thing about the Ronald McDonald House staff was that it felt like family.
“It is a great place of comfort and the staff is very kind,” Caris said. “It provides so much more than what was asked for.”
Steven Colwick, Caris’ father, said it was great seeing his daughter take an idea and turn it into reality.
“The Ronald McDonald House is such a big part of our lives and to see her do that was pretty special,” he said.
The challenge taught the child many things about herself, like having self-confidence.
“If I put my mind to something, I can actually accomplish it,” Caris said. “I was surprised that I actually reached my goal.”
Ronald McDonald House helping families
The 40-year-old organization provides support through its residential campus, family room inside Cook Children’s Hospital, day program and hospitality carts.
One of the favorite places at the Ronald McDonald House is its toy room. It provides gifts to children, including siblings, to brighten their day, and to celebrate a milestone or holiday.
Colwick, who sits on the organization’s board of directors and was not involved in the decision process for the Extra Mile Award, said the Ronald McDonald House helps families during a critical time.
“One of the things that the Ronald McDonald House says is ‘It’s the house that love built,’” the father said. “It really is a place of love.”
Beth Lamb, chief impact officer for the organization, said Caris’ donation will be able to help in a variety of ways, including the costs to operate a room at the house.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 5:15 AM.
