LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — As the holiday season approaches, not every family has the luxury of spending this time at home. For many, the holiday season is a time of gratitude and reflection, spending that time at home, surrounded by loved ones. However, not every family has that luxury. For four decades now, the Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass has provided a place to stay for families, keeping them close to their sick children and the medical care they need. When caring for a sick child doesn’t allow families to be home for the holidays, a yearly tradition with Kentucky Touchstone Energy Cooperatives aims to make the Ronald McDonald House feel a little more like a home away from home. “This is a special place for families that are struggling with illnesses and their family,” says Joe Settles, manager of member services for Kentucky Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. “And this is a way that you can come in, whether it’s clean or provide meals or just come here and help in any way you can.” For four decades now, the Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass has provided a place to stay for families, keeping them close to their sick children and the medical care they need. When caring for a sick child doesn’t allow families to be home for the holidays, a yearly tradition with Kentucky Touchstone Energy Cooperatives aims to make the Ronald McDonald House feel a little more like a home away from home. When the best medical treatment for a child is far from home, families can remain together at the Ronald McDonald House, where they can enjoy home-cooked meals and receive compassionate hospitality from staff and volunteers — all near the child’s hospital. Still, there may be some trouble getting into the holiday spirit. That’s where Kentucky Touchstone Energy Cooperatives comes in. “We start out this morning and the house is just in its normal shape,” says Settles. “And just in a couple hours, all of our volunteers together are just going to transform it into Christmas time. And so when the families get back this evening — they left and went to the hospital — and when they come back, their families are going to be seeing the house lit up and decorated for Christmas.” Settles says Touchstone Energy says they’ve been partnering with the Ronald McDonald House for seven years now. It’s an initiative that’s continued to grow over the years, with more than 30 volunteers helping to light and decorate the house. “It continues to get bigger and bigger and bigger every year,” says Nate Graham, CEO of the Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass. “They come with new ideas every year just to bring some of that holiday spirit to families who unfortunately can’t be home. And so we try to make this a Home away from home as best we can.” The goal, Graham says, is to remove as much stress as possible for these families and allow them to be present in the care of their child. And while they may not be home for the holidays, the newly-decorated home does help to make things a little more merry and bright. “I think it just brings a little bit of joy and reminds them of home with the Christmas trees and the lights and all of the things that this great group of people do for them,” says Graham. It’s just a reminder of the holidays and how special the holidays are, and it’s truly a holiday of thankfulness. It’s a holiday of giving back and support. And so that’s what these folks do.” Categories: Featured, Local News, News Tags: Bluegrass, Boyd, children, Christmas, cooperatives, decorations, Energy, Families, family, holidays, House, Kentucky, Lexington, lights, McDonald, Paxton, Ronald, sick, touchstone