Doug Wilson

Doug Wilson: Giving Ronald McDonald Houses a Makeover



First, thanks so much for the letters and emails about this site; I love your support! Last week, after launching, I spoke with someone who said, “Why give celebrities more photo opportunities; that’s the only reason they help charities.” Maybe some do, but I have met some celebrities who are very passionate about helping their cause and are working very hard; isn’t that what we want, more people helping other people? I also spoke with friends at various charities who said, “We need the celebrity faces to help bring attention to our cause.” So, while helping out a charity might get the celeb some PR, it gets the charity some too, so it’s a win-win situation.

Doug Wilson is the designer on Trading Spaces who viewers either love or hate (his designs that is). But you have to love the work that he's doing with the Ronald McDonald Houses.

When Doug Wilson’s nephew Tyler Wilson was a mere two years old, he was diagnosed with rhabdoid cancer, an aggressive and very rare form of cancer. Statistics show that even after surgery and chemotherapy treatment, the survival rate for children younger than 3 at diagnosis is less than 10 percent. According to Tyler's website, when Tyler was 2 years and 4 months, a large abdominal mass was found on his right kidney after having flu like symptoms...he had surgery 2 days later to remove it. Five weeks into treatment, his diagnosis came back as a Rhabdoid Tumor of the Kidney. At the time of diagnosis, Tyler lived on a farm in Illinois and loved tractors, construction equipment, airplanes and trains. He liked Mickey Mouse and his favorite TV show was Rolie Polie Olie.

For the next few years, while other toddlers were playing at the park, this child’s life would be consumed with hospital visits and intense chemotherapy treatments to try and stop this horrific cancer. Tyler’s parents stayed at the nearby Ronald McDonald house as their new home away from home while Tyler was getting treated. Unfortunately, this sweet boy lost his life to this terrible disease on January 28, 2004, at only five years old.

Doug and I talked about losing his nephew and using his decorating talents to help the Ronald McDonald House.

Why did you start helping the Ronald McDonald House?
I always knew about the Ronald McDonald House, but until you have a personal involvement you don’t understand what these charities really do. If the parents have to stay in local hotels, it can be expensive – and that adds up over time because they are away from home several weeks at a time. At the House, they can have a place to gather and talk to others and make their own meals, but many of them are run down.

You decided that to give back, you would use your decorating skills to improve these Ronald McDonald houses. How did you know what they needed?

I had spoken with a lot of families and I listened to them and got the feel of what they needed. I found out that siblings were often pulled out of school and away from home because the parents couldn’t afford babysitters. So my first makeover was in Grand Rapids, Michigan to makeover a basement. It really needed updating. I turned this big open space into two separate areas with a bookcase wall, pool table, computers and Internet access. The kids could communicate with friends and school, parents could come back from the hospital and get online and do their own research. I wanted to help the whole family and give the siblings a place where they could go to rather than just have one television and one computer stuck in the management office.

When I went to the Ronald McDonald House in Columbia, the fathers and their kids hang out more there, so I did more of a high-tech and home theater. It was a different feel for those who use the common spaces.

Why doesn’t McDonald’s help them and improve these rooms?

It’s a fallacy that they get millions of dollars from McDonald’s – these houses are independently run and funded. (Check this out.) You just can’t understand how important the community is to stand behind these houses to be successful. (I helped this one because), in a smaller area, it was easy to get the community excited, have a celebrity come in and help them, so it can draw attention to their House. You’re not going to get that much attention in the smaller pockets of the country and nothing is better than word-of-mouth.

Did TLC help you?

I did have TLC to help me out. We shot a PSA on the Ronald McDonald House and that lead up to their World Children’s Day that year. I did have a nice media machine behind me to help bring awareness.

How did your brother feel about everything?
We are a strong family and they were very thrilled. I was on the road doing Trading Spaces when Tyler was sick and I felt bad and felt that I had to do something, so how could I help? We have to make good of a bad situation and for me it just made sense that these houses need help.

How can we help?
Go to the House in your local community and hand them a check. They need volunteers whether you’re coming in to clean for two hours a week or mow the lawn – but there’s so many other things. It’s important to give back to your own community.

Thank you Doug!

For more information on the Ronald McDonald Houses, visit here: http://www.rmhc.com. Remember these kids and their families the next time you grab a Big Mac.

Ace Young

Ace Young -- an Idol with a Passion to Help


This Saturday, October 28, is “Make a Difference Day” in America and I started this site to talk to your favorite celebrities about their passions and their charities.

You could say that Ace Young, a finalist on this past season of American Idol, was the catalyst for this column. I was impressed with the dedication that he and his family have for the young patients at Denver Children’s Hospital. Ace is an articulate and passionate young man who started visiting the patients at the hospital since before his stint on American Idol catapulted him to stardom and the need for bodyguards.

Ace knows firsthand what it’s like for those families who are sitting and waiting and hoping for their child to get better and go home. When Ace was a sophomore in high school, his brother Ryan, while away at college, crashed his car and the family was unsure if Ryan would ever walk again. He knows what it’s like to wait. Fortunately, Ryan’s story had a happy ending.
The Colorado native and his family have always been generous to those in need, but after living through a near tragedy in his own family, Ace recognized the importance of continuing his work. Now, he’s a recognizable face and name in pop culture and is using his fame to raise $100,000 for Denver Children’s Hospital. Ace and I had a chance to chat about his life and his charitable goals:

When did you start helping others?I was lucky enough to be part of a family that, even in our poor times and our financial struggles with five boys, we always gave to those less fortunate. When I was little, we would leave baskets at doorsteps on Christmas Eve and they would have gift certificates in them and candy canes and cookies. One year, when I was 7 years old, I remember dropping one at a doorstep and running away to hide – we didn’t want the thank you – and I watched the mom come out and look around and then look down and there’s an overall joy on her face when you realize that someone cares about you. She got to be the hero walking back in the house. My family has always been doing things like this.

What happened to Ryan?
I was a sophomore in high school and I really missed him. He was at college and he was my best friend and I didn’t get to hang out with him anymore. I got really depressed. I was out golfing with my dad on a Sunday and my dad got a phone call and he looked pale. He told me that Ryan was in a car accident and he’s going to be at Boulder Community Hospital. It was so bad that he was flown to the hospital by private jet…and there was a back surgeon already there.

What were you feeling?
I felt relieved to see his chest going up and down…aside from the huge cuts, he broke his back in places and dislocated it in several places….he went into surgery and we weren’t sure if he would walk again. Within three weeks he was able to stand and he walked with his walker. We had a hospital bed in the house and every day at lunch I would leave high school and I would hang out with him.

He asked me what I wanted to do and I told him ‘perform.’ I asked him what he wanted to do and he said ‘walk.’ He played basketball and is 6 foot 7 and very athletic. I had faith in the fact that he would be able to do those things. Two years later, we went out to Flagstaff in Boulder and he told me I want to help you in any way, shape or form, so he helped me to get bookings and I started performing. Then I realized I wanted to give back. I was a senior in high school and I talked with my dad and mom and my brothers and I started visiting Children’s Hospital three times a week. The response was amazing – we’d sing pop songs, ‘N Sync songs, everything.

Why the Denver Children’s Hospital?
I never got to be a big brother. I’m great with kids and I never got to take everything that I learned from watching my brothers and pay it forward…I never got in fights except to fight the bullies who tried to take advantage of other kids. I was always protective, but it’s more than that. It’s actually a selfish thing, I feel so good after hanging out with these kids and sharing time with them. I never ask them about their story – they are there to live past it. I just hang out with them, tell them what’s going on with me and share music with them. Kids have a lot to say and they know more than we’d like to give them credit for sometimes.

(For example,) there was a six-year-old boy getting cancer treatment and his mom said he hadn’t smiled in weeks. I asked her if I could come into his room and visit and within five minutes he was laughing and singing Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. I told him to keep doing what he was doing, he was winning and then I asked him “What’s the meaning of life?” And he said, “To live it.” At that moment his mom broke down, but he didn’t. He got it. Everything else doesn’t matter. It’s amazing to see -- all the things that distract us on a day-to-day basis, what you have, etc., when it should be ‘Welcome to a new day.” I see it as that. You’re stronger with the support of others.

Are you religious?
I believe in God if that’s what you mean, I was raised in a few different churches and my parents never tied me down or got me baptized in one, but I believe in God. I hope that there’s a party after this life. If there’s not, I won’t be there to worry about it.

Do you ever get nervous or scared seeing the sick kids?It’s not scary for me, because if I don’t go and one of these kids passed on, I’m not going to be able to meet them and that bothers me. I’m not going to be able to talk to them and hear their story and I’m not scared by anything like that. Truthfully, I think these kids are so amazing…they are more grown up than half my friends that have been through college.

What are you doing with the charity?
(FYI -- throughout his time on American Idol, Ace’s fans raised $10,777.77! see HighRollers With Heart)

We started a charity to raise money for the hospital’s Family Amenities Area. Although I started it in my hometown, it can touch everyone nationwide because at this hospital there are, for example, heart surgeons and children are flown in from other areas to be treated here. The Family Amenities Area is a place where the families stay while kids are in surgery. It allows them to get a good night rest and know they are right there.

How much are you raising?The whole facility costs $1.5 million -- our goal is $100,000 and we’re over a quarter of that already and we have a whole year to do it.

What are you doing to raise money?
I’m auctioning off items from the American Idol tour – pictures, clothing, etc. all the things the fans recognize. I’ll continue to perform at the Hospital too.

Are you getting paid to help the hospital?
No, I’ve visited the hospital for eight years and before Idol; that’s who I am, I don’t take a penny.

And what about your fans?They are the ones doing all the hard work. They find out about my interest in Children’s hospital during the show (note: they raised $10,777 for the hospital during the show), and they are in control of updating everything on the websites, holding the auctions, and spreading the good word. They run everything by me and I don’t think I’ve said no, their ideas are brilliant, they are really really driven. I couldn’t do it without my fans.

To donate, visit here.

FYI: This article is copyrighted by Lisa Iannucci; do not reprint without permission. Posting a link to the article is fine.
Editors: If you are interested in purchasing this article or would like to discuss writing these type of articles for your publication, contact me at celebritydogooders@yahoo.com.

Thanks Ace!

Welcome to Celebrity Do-Gooders!

During the week of October 23, this site will launch its first feature with celebrity Ace Young, from this past season's American Idol. Ace and I had the opportunity to chat about his work with his favorite charity and how his near tragedy with a family member is a constant reminder to him of what life is all about. If you're an Ace fan, you'll learn more about this talented and giving singer and his amazing family, plus you'll also learn what you can do to help Ace to help his charity.

You'll also learn more about Studio by the Tracks, one of the charities that benefited from the Soul Patrol fan base of American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. Learn about the amazing work that they do for autistic adults.

Coming up on this blog over the next few weeks are also candid and heartfelt interviews with John C. McGinley of Scrubs, Doug Wilson of Trading Spaces, soap opera legend Kimberlin Brown (of Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful fame), actor from "Desire," Chris deRose and more! Learn what celeb saved the life of a baby, what celeb works with the Ronald McDonald House and what celeb has a deep committed passion for saving animals.

I'll post information on what your fave celebs are doing to help their causes and provide information on what you can do to help. We won't chat about what clothes they are wearing or who they are dating...instead we'll get down to the heart of the matter -- what are they doing to help the community? Feel free to email me information about what your fave celeb is up to and I'll do my best to get the information posted or chat with them for a little while and talk about their passions and their causes.

Thanks for reading my Celebrity Do Gooders blog! Until next time,
Lisa