By: Robyn Clarke
To celebrate U.S. Figure Skating’s centennial anniversary, we asked fans to share their favorite figure skating memories and athlete role models. Team USA skaters and alumni consistently go above and beyond to give back and serve communities in need. This month, we wanted to know: Whose off-ice work inspires you?
Across all our social channels, one name rose to the top of the list.
Jason Brown and his work with Ronald McDonald House Charities, which started where most skating stories do: on the ice.
As the music for his performance at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, ended, stuffed animals began to rain onto the ice. The years-old tradition is a way for spectators to show appreciation for their favorite skaters, and Brown knew he wanted others to feel the support he so often experienced from his fans.
But what, exactly, was the best way to do that?
As he began to brainstorm ideas, he knew one thing with certainty.
“It was really important to me to do it in a way where I could pay it forward to another part of the community that the event was taking place in,” he explained.
Someone suggested donating the toys to a local branch of the Ronald McDonald House (RMH), a global nonprofit organization which works to keep pediatric hospital patients and their families together as the child undergoes medical treatment. For Brown, who has always loved working with children, the decision was a no brainer.
When he pitched the idea to the Ronald McDonald House, they were all in.
“They were really excited about it,” Brown said. “When we brought it up to them, they were like, ‘Yes, we would love to.’”
Brown kicked off the partnership at Skate America® to kick off the 2014-15 season. The competition was held in Illinois that year, and when Brown announced that all of the stuffed animals would be given to the Chicago branch of the RMH, his fans welcomed the idea with open arms.
“It was a really, really cool and amazing reception from the audience,” Brown said. “And they were so excited to get involved.”
After the competition, Brown paid a visit to the house, where he delivered the gifts and spent time with a few patients and their families. The stuffed animals he donated that day became a part of the families’ welcome packages: upon arrival, patients pick out a toy to keep by their side as they undergo medical care.
Brown is a Chicago native, and he was grateful to be able to give back to those in his hometown.
“It's been really special and just being able to interact with the families and being able to bring the community aspects of the event to a local charity,” he said.
Visiting RMH after big events has since become a tradition. In the seven years that he has been donating stuffed animals, Brown has taken gifts around the country. He has also gone beyond the borders of the United States, spending time at branches in Finland, Taiwan and Japan.
Although each house is a part of the same organization, its set up varies drastically depending on location.
“There are houses that are like [a] home, where you would never know they’re a Ronald McDonald House if they didn't have a plaque on it,” he explained. “They just really look like part of the community that's near a hospital. And then there are others that look like an apartment complex.
“They’re all unique in their own way.”
However, they are all connected by a single goal: create a home-like atmosphere for the families they serve. The mission is what drew Brown to the organization in the first place.
“I grew up in a really strong community of people, and a lot of who I am today is because of them,” he said. “And that’s another huge reason why the Ronald McDonald Houses have been so important to me.”
Brown started visiting RMH to give back to the families they serve, but over the years, the roles have reversed.
“I’m at this point where they are the ones who give back to me,” he said. “When you have a bad event or a good event or whatever it might be, you're so self-involved, sometimes stepping out and being around other people where the goal is just love and hope and trying to stay healthy, and you get back to what really matters.
“And I think every time I go, it's those kids that just inspire me and show me what real courage and strength looks like.”
Brown’s story with the Ronald McDonald House may have begun on the ice, but it’s his actions away from the rink that are allowing him to leave an impact that will extend far beyond his days as an athlete.
