BPM Helps: Bringing Families Closer Together with Ronald McDonald House
April 7, 2026 / 9:42 AM
The Ronald McDonald House Charities help families of seriously ill children stay together during long-term hospitalisation. Thanks to facilities located close to hospitals, parents can remain near their children during the most difficult times. That is why Brno Patchwork Meeting and its community are proud to support this meaningful initiative, which brings closeness, comfort, and hope.
Charity has long been an integral part of Brno Patchwork Meeting – a way to bring joy to others through textile art. This year, BPM and its participating artists will support the Ronald McDonald House Charities and join many partners contributing to the construction of a second house for families of long-term hospitalised children, to be built at the University Hospital in Olomouc.
Thanks to the initiative of our two largest clubs – the Bohemia Patchwork Club Prague and the 1st Moravian Patchwork Association – the foundation’s mascot, a small rabbit, will receive new outfits. These handmade and knitted clothes will allow hospitalised children to have a unique and comforting toy.
Bohemia Patchwork Club Prague (BPKP)
The Bohemia Patchwork Club Prague is a registered association that has been bringing together enthusiasts of patchwork and other textile techniques for over 20 years. It currently has 52 members. In addition to creating practical works for themselves and their loved ones, members enthusiastically prepare exhibition pieces for themed collections and competitions.
An important part of the club’s activities, especially within traditional patchwork, is sewing for charitable purposes. We all see this as an essential historical role of patchwork – to use our craft to help where it is needed. We were recently invited to collaborate with the Ronald McDonald House Charities and are delighted to prepare sewn toys and outfits for the rabbit mascot, hoping to bring joy to children and their families. (A. Králíková)
1st Moravian Patchwork Association
The 1st Moravian Patchwork Association regularly engages in charitable activities. At our exhibitions, we donate our creations to charities such as “Člověk člověku” and Diakonie Vsetín, where they are auctioned or sold at charity events. We have made around 50 pillows for children from orphanages, and during our joint sewing event in March, we will create clothing for the rabbit mascot for children staying at the Ronald McDonald House. (H. Bůžková)
About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Hana Nikodemová, Marketing Manager, introduces the work of the Ronald McDonald House Charities:
The Ronald McDonald House Charities help families of seriously ill and long-term hospitalised children stay together throughout treatment and hospital stays. When a child spends weeks or months in hospital, the presence of parents is essential – and that is exactly what we strive to make possible.
In 2022, we opened the first Ronald McDonald House in the Czech Republic at Motol University Hospital. It provides free accommodation for families in close proximity to the hospital. Parents can stay there for the entire duration of their child’s hospitalisation, cook, rest, and be close to their child every day. The house is a place where a family can remain a family even during difficult times.
Our work does not stop there. We are currently preparing the construction of a second Ronald McDonald House at the University Hospital in Olomouc, which will offer the same support to families of paediatric patients from across Moravia. We are therefore very pleased to be part of an important cultural event in the region thanks to Brno Patchwork Meeting and its community.
We greatly appreciate the support of all artists, clubs, and organisers who have chosen to support our work. Textile art has the power to bring joy and closeness – exactly what children spending long periods in hospital need. The outfits for our rabbit mascot are a beautiful symbol of this support, and we believe they will bring smiles not only to children but also to their parents.
Every such gesture reminds us that behind the idea of Ronald McDonald House stands a wide community of people who believe that the best medicine is being together.
Thank you for being part of it. 🤍
