On a rather dreary Saturday morning, about 20 health-care workers from Wright Patterson Air Force Base showed up to wield shovels and other implements at the Ronald McDonald House.

“We’re trying to start a project for them,” said Tech. Sgt. Joycelyn Walker, who was heading up the group of volunteers. “They are going to have nine tons of gravel dumped in the yard here and dispersed equally. So we are trying to dig a hole and some trenches along the fence line for them to be able to accomplish it.”

Walker said that, with the exceptions of her husband and niece, all the other participants were military and members of the Medical Inpatient Squadron of the 88th Medical Group at the local USAF Medical Center.

“We have six RNs, and probably 10 or 11 enlisted medical technicians, one computer guy for the hospital and one administrative secretary,” Walker said.

Walker, a medical technician, is the Flight Chief for the inpatient unit.

The Ronald McDonald House was established in 1980 and, contrary to popular belief, is neither owned by McDonald’s restaurants nor by the Children’s Medical Center across the street from its 555 Valley St. location. The home, which provides free lodging or daytime use to families of pediatric patients in all local hospitals, is owned by Ronald McDonald House Charities, which is a private 501(c)(3) organization. The McDonald’s restaurants provide a variety of fundraising activities for the charity.

According to statistics provided by Brandy McFall, Public Relations & Events Associate for RMHC, the home serves an average of 500 families a year — 516 families totaling 3,930 nights of occupancy in 2009. She listed 990 adults and 219 siblings of the hospitalized children as comprising those numbers.

There is no maximum stay for guest families who average seven to nine nights per stay. Overnight family stays range from one night to 90 days or more for seriously ill children. There is no charge to the families for their stays.

More than 180 families are turned away yearly because the facility is filled to capacity.

The organization depends heavily on volunteers who provide services such as cooking, cleaning, reception, office duties and more. Volunteer Coordinator Susan Pleiss said that another local family — the mother who is director of nursing for Wright State Plastic Surgery and her two daughters — recently volunteered for housekeeping tasks twice a month.

“I would say (our group) is doing something once a month,” Walker said of the Wright-Patt volunteers. She added that she had started volunteering when she joined the military 15 years ago.

“(We do it) for love of the game,” she said. “I really believe that everybody needs some help sometimes and it’s a matter of giving back to the community and to those who need help.

“If you are doing pretty well, you should go out and help others. Even if you are not doing so well, it’s important to show others that you care,” she said.

For more information on RMHC, call (937) 224-0047 or visit the Web site at www.RMHCdayton.org.