Evan Lysacek gets high scores for blogging
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Evan Lysacek, a two-time U.S. men’s figure skating champion and two-time bronze medalist at the World Championships, will occasionally blog for The Fabulous Forum.
Lysacek, who lives in Hollywood and trains in El Segundo, was joined by some very accomplished skating friends Wednesday as they visited the Ronald McDonald House. On Friday the skaters will perform in McDonald’s Family Tribute on Ice at the Galen Center on the USC campus. The show hopes to raise funds and awareness for World Children’s Day and kids’ causes. It will air Nov. 16 on NBC. Here is his first entry:
Yesterday, the cast of our McDonald’s Family Tribute on Ice was lucky enough to spend some time at the new Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles. We decorated cookies, participated in arts-and-crafts projects with the residents, and took a thorough tour of the property.
However, our favorite part of the visit was getting to know the kids and their families who spend anywhere from a day to a year at the Ronald McDonald House.
The facility itself is state-of-the-art, fully equipped with a screening room, game room, computer center, kitchen, cafes, parents’ room, library and a beautiful aquarium. McDonald’s has thought of everything to make their important guests feel at home.
The house provides a safe and comforting enviornment for the families to let loose, bond and forget about medical treatments for a little while.
We were able to see the kids’ real personalities (kids ranged from toddlers to age 18) since they feel so at home at the House. We were so impressed with their perspective and positive attitude that we, as Olympic athletes, were inspired by their courage.
The kids really opened up and welcomes us into their in-House ‘family.’ We even got to witness some of their hidden talents: Eminarri Barber, one of the House’s residents, treated us to a freestyle rap and invited us all to join in.
It was really cool to experience the vibrant personalities that live within the Ronald McDonald House (it’s not just sick kids). It was a true honor to be a part of the Ronald McDonald House family, and we look forward to seeing them at the show on Friday.
-- Evan Lysacek
Top photo: Figure skater Sasha Cohen (left) and pair skaters John Baldwin (right) and Rena Inoue (lower right) decorated cookies with kids at L.A.’s Ronald McDonald House on Wednesday. Credit: Courtesy of Disson Skating
Lower photo: Evan Lysacek during the Four Continents figure skating championships in 2007. Credit: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press