COLUMBUS, Ohio – A red ribbon drapes across the door of a room at the Central Ohio Ronald McDonald House while more than a dozen soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard -- former and current -- watch for the permanent dedication of the room on Feb. 28, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio.
The ceremony was in honor of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Emmanuel “Manny” Kidd, who died of cancer in 2015.
His widow, Priscilla Kidd, and Col. Daniel Shank, assistant to the adjutant general of the Ohio Army National Guard, cut the ribbon to symbolize the permanent dedication of the room, which has previously been dedicated every year since 2015.
Prior to his death, Kidd was manager of the Warrant Officer Candidate School of the Ohio Army National Guard. Members of the WOCS raise money each year for the adoption of the room at the Ronald McDonald House. Through fundraising and external donations, they raised $10,000 this year.
“It’s a wonderful thing that the National Guard is doing,” Priscilla Kidd said. “This gives people a more personal vision of what the National Guard actually does on the home front versus abroad.”
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Paul Pitzer, the WOCS course manager for the Ohio Army National Guard, said this dedication is a reminder of the spirit and dedication Kidd embodied.
“He always had a smile on his face, and he was an upbeat person,” Pitzer said, “but he could also be the stern mentor that he needed to be for his warrant officer candidates.”
The Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio provides low-cost or free housing to an average of 100 families a day of seriously ill children while they are in the hospital.