Ronald McDonald House

Many families travel far from home to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children. Often, it can be a long time to be away from home, or to divide a family. And, for children facing a serious medical crisis, nothing seems scarier than not having their mom and dad close by for love and support. 

 

Our Ronald McDonald House program provides a “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost.  Our Houses are built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on healing their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. We believe that when a child is hospitalized the love and support of family is as powerful as the strongest medicine prescribed.

Allow Families to Face the Weight of Illness Together

Families are stronger when they are together, which helps in the healing process. By staying at a Ronald McDonald House, parents also can better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed. They can also focus on the health of their child, rather than grocery shopping, cleaning or cooking meals.

Allow Children to Get the Best Care

When your child is sick, you want the best care possible - even if it is hundreds or thousands of miles away.  The Ronald McDonald House allows families to access specialized medical treatment by providing a place to stay at little or sometimes no cost.

 

There are countless ways to make a difficult day better for our families staying at a House.  Read 100 small gestures that make a difference.

“Our precious Elsie has fought through 29 reparative surgeries, the pain that went with the recovery and the feeling of being different. Throughout it all, what comforts us as parents most is that she never has had to fight alone, and neither did we,” said the Corbett family.  Read more family stories.

Services for Families

At every House, families can enjoy:

  • Home-cooked meals
  • Private bedrooms
  • Playrooms for children

Depending on the House, these services may also be available:

  • Special suites for children with suppressed immune systems
  • Accredited education programs
  • Recreational activities
  • Non-clinical support services
  • Sibling support services

The generosity of volunteers and donors make it all possible. In return, families either stay at no cost or are asked to make a donation up to $25 per day, depending on the House. The RMHC Global Policy is that families are never turned away; if its not possible to pay, the fee is waived.

>> Find a Ronald McDonald House through a local Chapter

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