The Ronald McDonald House FAQ's

What is a Ronald McDonald House?
What is its purpose?
How did the Ronald McDonald House start?
What is the involvement of McDonald's in this program?
About the Huntington Ronald McDonald House.

What is a Ronald McDonald House?

A Ronald McDonald House is a temporary home away from home where the families of children being treated for cancer and other serious illnesses or trauma reside while the child receives treatment at a nearby hospital or medical treatment center. In some cases, such as when a child receives outpatient therapy, the youngster can spend time with his family in the non-institutional atmosphere of the House. A Ronald McDonald House is not a medical treatment facility, a hospice, hotel, motel or psychotherapy unit.

What is its purpose?

Sick children need more than quality medical attention. They need the emotional support and understanding of their parents, brothers and sisters. And families, in turn, need a place where they can draw additional strength and find stability when a child is seriously ill. For families forced to travel a distance to obtain medical care, their day-to-day problems are often compounded by lengthy separation from home and friends. They often must choose between paying the cost of expensive accommodations or sleeping in hospital waiting rooms to be close to their sick child.

How did the Ronald McDonald House start?

In 1973, Kim Hill, the seven-year-old daughter of Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill, was being treated for leukemia at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. Hill and his Eagles teammates became determined to do something to benefit families using Children's Hospital. They approached Kim's physician, Dr. Audrey Evans, head Hematologist/Oncologist at Children's Hospital and indicated their desire to help. Dr. Evans expressed the serious need for a home-away-from-home facility near the hospital and the search for a suitable home began. Ultimately this led to a joint fundraising effort on the part of the Eagles and Philadelphia-area McDonalds' restaurant owners to support the purchase and renovation of an older home near the Hospital with seven bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and laundry. The House opened in 1974, and was named the Ronald McDonald House, not just because of McDonald's fundraising support from restaurants, but for the positive, hopeful and fun-loving feeling this well-known clown character could inspire in children.

In 1975, Dr. Edward Baum, a physician at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and Charles Marino, a parent of a child with leukemia, learned of the Philadelphia House and decided to create a similar facility in Chicago. Local McDonald's support was obtained a not-for-profit corporation of parents and other volunteers was formed, and in 1977, a restored 18-bedroom Victoria home was opened as the second Ronald McDonald House. The second House proved that the concept would work in various geographical areas. The National Advisory Board of Children's Oncology Services, Inc. was formed to assist communities in the development and maintenance of Ronald McDonald Houses.

What is the involvement of McDonald's in this program?

When McDonald's restaurants in the Philadelphia area joined the Eagles to create the first Ronald McDonald House, a McDonald's Shamrock Shake promotion was held to raise a large part of the funds to purchase the House. Since then, each Ronald McDonald house has included McDonald's restaurants in the community as a major, initial fundraising source. McDonald's local promotions around the country have raised nearly $4 million to date for the Houses. McDonald's licensees and McDonald's Corporation have volunteered expertise in many areas, such as construction, finance, public relations, real estate, marketing, communications, and management to assist the local not-for-profit organizations.

About the Huntington Ronald McDonald house
The House, located directly behind Cabell Huntington Hospital at 1500 17th Street, Huntington, West Virginia, is owned and operated by Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Tri-State, Inc. This is a non-profit group formed in 1983 and comprised of parents and community leaders. These people, along with hard-working, selfless volunteers, make up the backbone of "The House that love built." But we need your help too. Although the McDonald's Corporation provides a fundraising base and part of our House's operating budget, our needs are great. Revenues received from families who stay at the House aren't sufficient to pay for the cost of daily operations. The House receives neither local, state nor federal funds. We depend on the combined efforts of individuals, corporations and organizations. We depend on you. And if you need us, you can depend on us.