When veteran carpet cleaner Marsha Reynolds learned that a volunteer opportunity in San Diego had been canceled based on COVID-19 vaccination status, she was disappointed.
“It's discriminatory because not everybody's sick and it's my body, my choice,” said Reynolds, who founded the Mr. Fresno carpet and upholstery cleaning business 25 years ago. “Why should you tell me, if I'm volunteering my day to help you? If I was sick, I wouldn't be there.”
Reynolds is among 120 carpet cleaners who were planning to clean inside the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego in January 2023.
“I’ve never declined a customer because they won’t take a vaccine,” Reynolds told the Southern California Record. “It really upsets me when they discriminate against these children. Not that they're doing it intentionally, they're just doing what they're told.”
San Diego isn’t the only Ronald McDonald House requiring vaccination of their volunteer carpet cleaners, according to Michael Pailliotet who organizes cleaning and training events for carpet cleaners nationwide.
“We had a Las Vegas Ronald McDonald House event that was canceled at the last minute and two or three weeks out, the same thing happened in Phoenix,” Pailliotet told the Southern California Record. “The rules changed. Then this San Diego Ronald McDonald House happened.”
Previously, Pailliotet said it had been acceptable for the carpet cleaners to wear a mask and to take a nasal COVID-19 test three days before entering the building.
"There are always quite a few teary-eyed moments when the kids come back and thank you for cleaning their room," he said.
Boise, Idaho is among the Ronald McDonald Houses that have not imposed a vaccine mandate on the carpet cleaning volunteer group.
“The act of giving back is great,” Pailliotet said. “It's very touching and emotional. It's a definite win-win. The house wins because they don't have to spend money hiring professionals. The families win. They get their rooms cleaned."
The majority of the children that the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego lodges at 2929 Children's Way along with their families are treated nearby at Rady Children’s Hospital at 3020 Children’s Way as well as at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, UCSD Medical Center, Balboa Naval Hospital, Scripps Memorial Hospital, Mercy Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente.
“The grounds that they’re on are governed by the hospital,” Pailliotet added. “It's not the Ronald McDonald's rule. The San Diego Ronald McDonald House was the only one in the country that stayed open during COVID so they were proud they called their own shots until a few weeks ago. They said the rules changed and now everybody has to be vaxxed and triple boosted.”
Staff at Rady Children’s Hospital did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both Reynolds and Pailliotet are hoping that the requirement will eventually be eliminated.
"They keep the places bright and cheery and there are lots of things to clean so, it's educational for carpet cleaners who are just starting out," Reynolds added. "There are all kinds of area rugs and exotic furniture. You have very different amounts of flooring like hard vinyl, tile, stone, and carpet. It's just a great opportunity to teach while you're giving back."