Long Beach Ronald McDonald House Spreads Some Joy

The Long Beach Ronald McDonald House helped bring some holiday joy to families staying at the home during its' annual holiday party.

Nearly 300 people attended the Dec. 6 event and enjoyed a number of activities included dancing, face painting and appearances by Ronald McDonald and Santa Claus, organizers wrote in a news release.

“Every child that attended the event received a gift bag of toys thanks to the generous contributions from the community throughout the month of November,” organizers said. “Additional toys were also received that day thanks to 14-year-old Jonathan Piazza, a cancer survivor, who decided to donate his birthday money to support the families at the House.”

Jonathan, joined at the event by his mother Marnie Schneider, is the great grandson of former Philadelphia Eagles owner Leonard Tose, who was a part of the team that started the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia in 1974, staffers said.