'Frazzled' families welcome time out

Linley Parry outside the family retreat. PHOTO/ STEPHEN PARKER

To make a positive impact in the life of one family is pretty special.

But the Ronald McDonald Family Retreat has done that to the lives of more than 1200 families since it opened in 2009.

Sitting at 80 per cent occupancy over the past year, most weeks volunteers at the retreat welcome "frazzled" families.

For Linley Parry, seeing the families leave as a tight unit is what really makes the difference and shows how important the retreat is. "It's a really unique experience.

"You feed families that are really frazzled, tired and all individuals pulling along by themselves, and by the end of the week you can see they are a team again."

The retreat on the shores of Lake Rotorua at Ngongotaha has been open since Valentine's Day 2009 and has been a piece of paradise for hundreds of families who have experienced the impact of a chronic or long-term illness, or bereavement in their ranks.
With two houses on site, they can cater for up to 100 families a year although occupancy varies.

Linley says the occupancy in the mid 80s is up on recent years, and while they'd love to be at 100 per cent it isn't realistic when they're dealing with families with sick children.
"The only reason we are not 100 per cent is we had a number of families cancel close to the date of arrival."

The ongoing costs of providing the retreat mount up to about $60,000 a year for the operational costs such as rates and electricity and they try to budget for about $80,000 so there's money for extra improvements, including new furniture and a lick of paint.
Supper Club is the major fundraiser so the more that is raised through generous Rotorua people means the more they can do for families who deserve it. "It goes towards making the experience better."