Newcastle Knights Jarrod Mullen and Akuila Uate stopped off at Ronald McDonald House for some school holiday fun on Tuesday.
The players spent time with young patients and their siblings colouring in, making red and blue craft and playing games in the house’s lively activity room.
Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for seriously ill children and their families and is situated within walking distance from the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
As one of the Newcastle Knights’ charity partners, the players are familiar faces at the facility throughout the year.
“I love seeing the smile on all the kids' faces, they are having a ball out here,” Mullen told Knights TV.
“The facilities are great for all the families from out of town. They come here and they really look after them.
“If they are close to their family here, the patients are obviously going to be happy and more comfortable around their families."
Uate, who is an ambassador of the Ronald McDonald House in the Hunter says he always cherishes the time he spends at the valuable facility.
“I’ve been an ambassador here now for a couple of years and it’s good to come play see the kids,” Uate said.
Ronald McDonald House Manager Alison Wellings said the Knights’ visits at the house are always a highlight for the families.
“We’ve built up a great relationship with the guys who come regularly,” Alison said.
“What’s great is when it is the same players and the ambassador coming again and again they get to know the house. They walked in today and it was like they were home themselves. They just knew exactly where to go and we didn’t have to show them around."
Ronald McDonald House strives to provide an atmosphere where the familiar routines of home life can continue as much as possible through stressful and difficult times.
Since the house in the Hunter opened its doors in 1991, close to 1000 families call the home each year in the 12 comfortably furnished family bedrooms and six self-contained units.
