for Distinguished Community Service at
the Ohio State Bar Foundation's Annual
given annually to an Ohio attorney whose
career has been exemplified by a lifetime of
service to the public and the community.
and has spent 38 of those years
developing one of Cleveland's most
important non-profits The Ronald
McDonald House of Cleveland, Inc.
(RMH). While Kahn's infant daughter,
Nicole, was undergoing many
weeks of treatment for a rare form
of eye cancer in a New York hospital,
Kahn and his wife, Susy, stayed
in a nearby brownstone made
available without charge to out-of-
town families by the hospital's eye
clinic. Upon returning to Cleveland,
Nicole came under the care of Drs.
Susan Shurin and Samuel Gross of
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies
& Children's Hospital. In the summer
of 1978, Dr. Gross approached Ron
and Susy, along with other parents
whose children he was treating,
about starting a Ronald McDonald
House in Cleveland.
children who were hospitalized
needed the security of having their
parents nearby. He wanted to give
families a low-cost, home-away-
from-home close to the hospital,
to provide stability in the midst of
challenging circumstances. As a
result, Ron and other community
members opened RMH of Cleveland
on September 25, 1979.
which time he oversaw disposition
of the existing house, the design
and construction of the new
Ronald McDonald House at a new
location, with expanded capacity of
37 rooms, as well as orchestration
needed funds. After serving the
longest tenure of any RMH presi-
dent at four years, he was elected
secretary of the board, a position
he still holds today.
guest or fellow board member, Ron
Kahn is there to be a friend," said
Mickey Kozlovich, past president of
RMH of Cleveland. "Truly a remark-
able and dedicated individual with a
passion rivaled by none."
include Tools for Today and Tomor-
row, an online support resource for
families, now known as RedTree-
house.org, and the opening of
Ohio's first Ronald McDonald Family
Room within a hospital. In addition,
Ron was part of the Ulmer & Berne
team that helped secure $2.2 million
in New Market tax credits for yet
another expansion of RMH in 2010.
develop new programming to serve
thousands of families in need and
raised hundreds of thousands of
dollars to support RMH services.
commitment to the mission, RMH
has grown from serving 2,000
people through one program in
1979 to helping more than 100,000
individuals a year through multiple
programs today," said RMH of Cleve-
land Executive Director Craig Wilson
who nominated Kahn for the Ramey
Award. "While most people would
move to a new cause, Ron's passion
burn as brightly today as it did 38
years ago."
of Kahn's nomination, added, "He is
never afraid to go the extra mile or
make that last request to better serve
the organization and its interests, but
always does so in a way that shows
respect for others and, in turn, fosters
appreciation for the House. That is
the mark of a true legal professional
and a dedicated fiduciary."
Foundation for my involvement
with Cleveland's Ronald McDonald
House," Kahn said. "From our own
experiences, Susy and I appreciated
the value of a low-cost place to stay
in a home-like environment near
the hospital where our child was
being treated for a serious illness.
Thus, it has been a rewarding labor
of love to participate in the growth
of Cleveland's Ronald McDonald
House, which went from serving
about 2,000 families a year to about
100,000 families annually today.
interaction with so many wonderful
people board members, staff,
volunteers and contributors all
helping to make the Ronald McDon-
ald House of Cleveland, its Ronald
House Family Rooms located in area
hospitals and its Red Treehouse Pro-
gram of online support for families,
the wonderful successes they have
been in fulfilling our Ronald Mc-
Donald House mission of Keeping
Families Close."
cates and empowers individuals
and families touched by cancer
through programs and services
provided free of charge. The
programs provide education and
information, support, and tools
to help manage the stress of a
cancer diagnosis. The Gathering
Place has two locations in Beach-
wood and one in Westlake.
Park in Beachwood. All programs
require advance registration by
calling 216.595.9546 unless noted.
For more information visit www.
touchedbycancer.org. You can
follow TGP at www.facebook.com/
tgpcaringcommunity or www.
twitter.com/touchedbycancer.
Information Session
Thurs., Nov. 10 · 5:30 6:15 pm
to ask questions, connect with
prostate cancer survivors and
learn about support and re-
sources. No registration required.
Those with Gynecologic Cancers
Wed., Nov.16 · 6 7:30 pm
Mon. Nov.14 and 28 · 2 3 pm
connect around your cancer
experience while creating a piece
through knitting.
Mon., Dec. 5, 12 and 19
11 am 12:30 pm
loved one due to cancer more
than a year ago. Topics include:
holding on versus letting go, so-
cializing and dating and who am
I now. Participants are encour-
aged to attend all three sessions.