ELM GROVE, Wis. — An Elm Grove family has transformed their house into a Christmas wonderland to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charity, with the Christmas Fantasy House. It opens for a little over a week, starting on November 1.
Danny and Wendy Dulak donated their home for this holiday transformation.
"I do quite a bit of lights. I do a million lights outside by myself, so that Christmas spirit part of things was very, very easy," Danny said.
This is a major fundraiser for the charity, which provides housing and meals for families while their children receive medical treatment at nearby hospitals. The Dulaks gave up their home for weeks to allow volunteers to transform it into the fundraising showcase. The couple said the decision was easy when they considered the families who rely on Ronald McDonald House services.
"The idea of having to be away from your kids when they are going through medical emergencies is just not something that we would want anyone to do. So the cause was something we really thought was important," Wendy said.
The Ronald McDonald House, located across from Wisconsin’s Children's Hospital and the medical campus, serves up to 84 families daily with guest rooms and home-like amenities, including meals and laundry facilities.
"If you can imagine all the things you do at home with your family. You cook dinner, you do laundry, all of those electricity. We have 84 guest rooms, we are serving up to 84 families every single day," said Melissa Marney from Ronald McDonald House Charity.
Everyone — from the designers to the tour guides — is a volunteer, so 100 percent of the proceeds go to the charity.
"We have 29 rooms decorated by 23 area designers. So they are either interior designers, they own a flower shop or a gift shop, or a boutique, and they bring all their talents and make everything a Christmas wonderland here," said Connie Walters, a Christmas Fantasy Home volunteer.
The Christmas Fantasy House will only be open through November 9. Tickets are available for purchase online here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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