June 5, 2023

RMHC Canada Welcomes Three New Board Directors

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Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Canada is excited to announce the appointment of three new members to its national Board of Directors. Together, their leadership, dedication and professional expertise will help RMHC better support our mission and vision across Canada – helping families with sick children stay close when it matters most.

Richard Pass, Mike Malleck, and Francesca Cardarelli join a talented cohort of RMHC national mission champions. On behalf of families with sick children across Canada, we are grateful for their generous partnership and leadership.

Meet our newest Board members:

Francesca Cardarelli - Lead, Strategy & Insights, McDonald’s Canada

Francesca recently moved into a new role at McDonald’s Canada leading Strategy & Insights for the organization. Previously she was the Senior Director of Marketing Strategy & Digital. With over 10 years in CPG & QSR, she is a passionate leader who truly believes the impossible can be possible with a balanced orientation towards innovation, data advancement and problem solving. She is a believer in dreaming big, grounded by honestly and vulnerability & when she isn’t listening to Brene Brown’s podcasts she enjoys time with family, scuba diving & cooking a delicious meal!

Francesca feels deeply connected to the RMHC mission; in 2019, just 2 weeks after her father passed away, her one-month-old nephews, Otto & Matteo, were hospitalized at Sick Kids. As support for her sister & brother in-law, she understood what RMHC meant by ‘when a child is sick, the whole family is’. It gives her an immense amount of pride to be part of the RMHC Canada Board and she’s inspired by the idea of being a part of something bigger and supporting families across Canada.  

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Richard Pass – Regional Chapter CEO Representative 

Richard, the CEO of Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon, has devoted his career to supporting BC and Yukon families dealing with their child’s serious illness. Having taken on the role of CEO in 2006, he has transformed the organization and overseen substantial growth and expansion. Richard's unwavering commitment to excellence and compassion propels him to enhance the organization's capabilities to better serve families in British Columbia and Yukon. In 2012, he led the capital campaign to build a new BC Ronald McDonald House, the second largest in Canada. The campaign raised more than $32 million dollars and the new House, which offers accommodation and support to more than 2000 families annually opened in July of 2014. In addition, he opened the organization’s first Family Room in Surrey Memorial Hospital, a 2000 square foot facility serving families of children from the lower mainland who are being treated in hospital.

As a leader, Richard is driven by excellence and compassion and plans to continue to grow the organization to better serve families in BC and Yukon opening a second Family Room Kamloops in 2024 and is currently planning a second BC Ronald McDonald House which could double the number of families served annually.

“The opportunity to serve on the RMHC Canada Board of Directors is an excellent way to use my experiences in the not for profit sector to support and shape the future of Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada ensuring the continuation of the RMH Mission, keeping families close.”

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Mike Malleck - Regional Chapter Board President Representative 

Mike has spent the past 28 years building a landscape maintenance and construction business serving Southwestern Ontario. Sales and customer relationship management have always been his passions with the continuing goal of being best in class in every aspect of the business. Mike also enjoys spending time with family and friends and keeps active through travel, golf and hockey. 

In May 2006, his first son Max was born with several complications. Ronald McDonald House quickly became his and Melissa’s home away from home just steps away from Children’s Hospital. They spent 10 weeks as guests at the House and the impact this incredible organization had on his family is something that they will never forget. In memory of Max, Mike has given back to the organization that meant so much to his family by serving as President and various other positions on the Board of Directors for the London House over the past 13 years. 

 

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