Select Comfort Delivers 400 Beds To Ronald McDonald House Charities®

Furniture World Magazine

Select Comfort, the nation’s leading bed retailer and creator of the SLEEP NUMBER® bed, is dedicating the month of August to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) through a variety of fundraising and donation efforts. Select Comfort became the “Official Bed Provider” for RMHC in 2001 and this year expands its commitment to RMHC through several giving initiatives nationwide. Bed Donation Blitz: 20 Beds in 20 Cities On Thursday, Aug. 18, Select Comfort donated 400 Sleep Number® beds to RMHC. Select Comfort employees traveled to the Ronald McDonald House® in each of 20 different cities to deliver and set up the beds. This was the largest single-day donation in the company’s history and marks the 3000th bed that Select Comfort has donated since becoming the “Official Bed Provider” for RMHC. The beds were donated to the Ronald McDonald House in the following cities: Atlanta, Ga.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Denver, Colo.; Detroit, Mich.; Durham, N.C.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Greenville, N.C.; Iowa City, Iowa; Kansas City, Mo.; Little Rock, Ark.; Loma Linda, Calif.; Madison, Wis.; Miami, Fla.; New York, N.Y.; Omaha, Neb.; Rochester, N.Y.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Spokane, Wash.; St. Louis, Mo. Susan Lucci and the Ronald McDonald House of NYC Actress Susan Lucci, legendary star of ABC’s daytime drama “All My Children,” was on hand for the bed donation to the Ronald McDonald House of New York City on East 73rd Street in Manhattan. Lucci met with families staying at the House and signed autographs. The Ronald McDonald House of New York City is an 84-room facility that serves as a "home away from home" for pediatric cancer patients and their families while they are in New York City to receive treatment at local hospitals. Besides offering economic relief, the House creates a warm, comforting environment for the children and families to relieve them from the daily emotional and physical rigors of dealing with cancer. A staff of over 70 volunteers organize fun activities so that the kids are treated as kids first, and kids with cancer second. Supporting RMHC at Select Comfort® Stores Shoppers can help support RMHC during the month of August[i] in three ways at the more than 370 Select Comfort stores nationwide. First, Select Comfort will donate $5 to RMHC for every bed sold. Second, one pillow will be donated to the charity for every four pillows sold. Third, Select Comfort customers can purchase RMHC support bracelets for $2, and the company will donate 100 percent of the proceeds. Select Comfort hopes to raise $200,000 through these combined efforts. Good Support for Better Sleep Each year, thousands of families stay at Ronald McDonald Houses around the nation while their children receive medical treatment at nearby hospitals. These family members frequently experience stress and anxiety that can disrupt sleep schedules, cause insomnia and provoke a greater occurrence of daytime sleepiness. It is during these stressful times that restorative sleep is needed most for recovery and healing. “Watching a child struggle with a serious illness is difficult and exhausting, to say the least. Through our support of Ronald McDonald House Charities, we hope to help families get a better night’s sleep so they have the energy they need during the day to be strong and supportive,” said Diane Utzman-O’Neill, vice president of brand management, Select Comfort. The Sleep Number bed utilizes patented technology that allows the mattress to be quickly adjusted for personalized comfort on each side of the bed via a hand-held remote control. A Sleep Number is a number between zero and 100 which represents the ideal combination of mattress comfort, firmness and support for each individual. Select Comfort’s long-term goal is to provide a Sleep Number bed for each of the more than 4,000 bedrooms in the Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide. Select Comfort employees have donated more than 5,000 volunteer hours and $200,000 in contributions from employee payroll deductions and other fundraising activities. Some Select Comfort suppliers also support the charity. For instance, Winland Electronics donates the electronic components for each Sleep Number pump that Select Comfort donates to Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House Story Ronald McDonald House was created through the leadership of Fred Hill, a former Philadelphia Eagles player, and his wife Fran, who grew tired of sleeping on hospital furniture while their young daughter received leukemia treatments. Each House is run by a local nonprofit organization comprised of members of the medical community, business and civic leaders, parents/volunteers and McDonald’s owners/operators. Families staying at Ronald McDonald House are asked to make a donation ranging from $5 to $20 per day; if that is not possible, their stay is free. Nationwide, the average stay is approximately eighteen days, and since 1974 the program has helped more than three million family members. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org. About Select Comfort Founded in 1987, Select Comfort Corporation is the nation’s leading bed retailer[ii], holding 32 U.S. issued or pending patents for its personalized sleep products. The company designs, manufactures and markets a line of adjustable-firmness mattresses featuring air-chamber technology, branded the Sleep Number® bed, as well as foundations and sleep accessories. Select Comfort® products are sold through its more than 370 retail stores located nationwide; through selected bedding retailers; through its national direct marketing operations; and on the Internet at www.selectcomfort.com