RMHC’s impact by the numbers

• 28,000. The number of families who have called The Ronald McDonald House a home away from home over the past 39 years.
• 145,000+. The number of families with hospitalized children that have been served in the RMHC Family Room located on the fourth floor of UK HealthCare’s Kentucky Children’s Hospital since 2008. The Family Room provides a private area of comfort for critical care pediatric families who need a quiet place in the hospital to decompress and have some alone time.
• 7,655+. The number of guests representing 1,177 Families who utilized the RMHC Family Room in 2022 alone with 1,069 complimentary Lunches with Love provided.
• 90%. The percentage of families in the RMHC who are from Eastern Kentucky. Without RMHC, many would have to sleep in their cars or a hospital’s stairwells as the cost of a hotel even for a night is unaffordable.
• 2,000. The number of children the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile provides care for each school year since launching in 2005. The Care Mobile is headquartered in Hazard, KY, and provides children with free professional dental services + education because dental disease has broader health impacts, including heart disease and poor academic performance. Fun fact: Two elementary schools in Hazard, KY reported the lowest rates of tooth decay and had the highest test scores.

Get involved

• Volunteer: Individuals or groups can pitch in with everything from baking and making Lunches with Love to cooking dinner for RMHC families and landscaping projects.
• Donate: It costs ~$125 per room per night to host a family. While all services are provided at no cost to the guest families, any financial donation from the community helps keep the lights on.
• Sponsor: Make a large impact by sponsoring a room at RMHC.

• Kentucky Sports Radio Live | Tuesday, Oct. 10 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | El Mariachi, 391 Rose St., Lexington | Free | Join Matt Jones and friends for a live recording of the beloved radio show.

• Guided Museum Tour | Wednesday, Oct. 11 | 5 p.m. | 21c Museum Hotel, 167 W. Main St., Lexington | Free | Take a tour of the museum’s current contemporary exhibits and learn the stories behind each art piece.

• Bourbon Showcase | Thursday, Oct. 12 | 6-9 p.m. | Marrs Hall, Midway University, 512 E. Stephens St., Midway | $25 | Try bourbon samples and take part in mixology courses; the price of admission is waived for university alumni, current seniors, and graduate students.
• Jazz at the Library | Thursday, Oct. 12 | 7-8:15 p.m. | Lexington Public Library, 140 E. Main St., Lexington | Free | Enjoy live jazz music from the Pat Harbison Quartet featuring guitar, bass, drums + trumpet.

• Taylor Swift Eras Party | Friday, Oct. 13 | 4-8 p.m. | The Blushery, 825 National Ave., Lexington | $0-$40 | Shake it off + party like it’s 1989; upgrade to a VIP ticket for unlimited champagne, bites, and access to the shop’s friendship bracelet bar.
• Freaky Flicks | Friday, Oct. 13 | 6:30 p.m. | Moondance Amphitheater, 1152 Monarch St., Lexington | Join the Parks department for hair-raising fun with a Monster Mash dance party + costume contest, followed by a showing of “Casper.”

• UK is hosting its annual men’s basketball Pro Day tomorrow, Oct. 11 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Rupp Arena. During the event, NBA organizations will get a look at this year’s roster + watch players go through various drills. Pro tip: You can watch Pro Day too.

• Parents, do your kids have any old Halloween costumes they won’t be using this year? Learn how you can donate them to local nonprofit Caring Costumes so that they can be gifted to kids whose families aren’t able to purchase new ones. Bonus: Find out about Caring Costumes’ two upcoming costume fairs. (FOX 56)

• Explore art inspired by the creeks in Fayette County at this year’s Art by Nature exhibit at the Living Arts & Science Center. The opening reception is on Friday, Oct. 13, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., and the exhibit will remain open until Friday, Nov. 24. See more Art by Nature events.

• Auditions and applications are now open for The Lexington Theatre Company’s 2024 season. Opportunities include professional acting company, paid college internships, college and high school technical apprenticeships, high school and youth performing apprenticeships, and high school and youth pre-show players. Learn more.

• The YMCA of Central Kentucky’s free Senior Health and Resource Fair is on Thursday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Lexington Family YMCA. Community members ages 55+ will have the chance to tour the facility, get a flu shot, receive memory and stroke screenings, and more.

• In case you missed it, we’re running our inaugural LEXtoday Pumpkin Carving Contest this month, and submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15. To participate, simply carve, paint, or decorate a pumpkin in a way that is fun for you + send us a photo. Make a submission.

• Learn about Lexington’s urban soil ecosystems and how to care for them in The Dirt on Urban Soils at the Arboretum today, Oct. 10 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The free hands-on event is for all ages. Participants should meet outside the Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center.

• Wanna try your hand at pottery making? The Living Arts & Science Center has two new adult classes — Intro to Clay (Wheelthrowing) and Intro to Clay (Hand Building) — that you can try. Each class is four hours + includes all the materials you’ll need to make your own masterpiece.

• Head to Mt. Folly Farms in Winchester this weekend for its first annual Heritage Food Festival. The festival will take place from Thursday, Oct. 12 to Sunday, Oct. 15 + include various workshops like cheese making and cooking with a Dutch oven, live music, a community dinner, and more.

• It’s day one of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. Shop deals on home, kitchen, fashion, and tech, like 11% off the Bissell Little Green Carpet Cleaner.*

Methodology

Kentucky’s stats

• Average total energy cost: $447
• Average monthly electric cost + rank: $145; No. 16
• Average monthly natural gas cost + rank: $74; No. 29
• Average monthly motor fuel cost + rank: $173; No. 15
• Average monthly home heating oil cost + rank: $54; No. 35

Comparisons

• Wyoming ranked the No. 1 most energy-expensive state with an average monthly energy cost of $845.
• Idaho has the lowest average price of natural gas at $51 per month.
• Hawaii has the highest average cost of natural gas at $186 per month.