SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 19LIVINGMAG.CAINFLUENCER: RICHARD PASS
STORY | LAURA GOLDSTEINT
he old AdAge “it tAkes A villAge to rAise A child”
is a mantra practiced by Richard Pass throughout his long career in the social services
sector. Empathy and boundless energy made him the perfect candidate for CEO of
Ronald McDonald House British Columbia & Yukon in 2006. Previously, a Ronald McDonald
House in Shaughnessy accommodating 13 overwhelmed families of critically ill children who
travelled to Vancouver for life-saving treatments was not large enough to meet the demand. So
Pass spearheaded a campaign that raised $32 million to build a new House on the grounds of
BC Children’s Hospital.
“I had a vision of how the House that would now accommodate 73 families should be,
because I had visited about 34 around the world,” says Pass during a tour of the 74,000-square-
foot building designed by award-winning Vancouver architect, Michael Green. It is now the fifth
largest Ronald McDonald House in the world.
They were adamant that it not resemble a boutique hotel, but remain family-friendly with
all the bells and whistles that would enthrall kids. “We did interviews with many of the original
families that had stayed at the first House and because most were oncology patients, they were
really concerned about the disinfectant protocols. ‘What about the germs?’ Basically they were
asking ‘how do we get that supportive feeling of arms wrapped around us in a bigger house?’”THE CEO OF RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE KEEPS FAMILIES CLOSE(^) >
LEFT: THE DESIGN OF
RONALD MCDONALD
HOUSE CENTRED
AROUND LETTING
CHILDREN BE CHILDREN,
WITH PLENTY OF ROOM
TO RUN AND PLAY
ABOVE RIGHT: RICHARD
PASS, CEO, RONALD
MCDONALD HOUSE
YASMEEN STRANG, COURTESY RICHARD PASS