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Did you know that the Ronald McDonald House Charities has had 389k volunteers!

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The  History of Ronald McDonald House Charities

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The  History of Ronald McDonald House Charities

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The program started in Philadelphia in 1974. It was inspired by a football player who had a daughter that was sick. Fred Hill, a player for the Philadelphia Eagles, faced a challenging situation when his daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia and hospitalized. During her treatment, Mr. Hill and his wife slept in the hospital on chairs and ate food from vending machines. Seeing that other families with kids at the hospital were doing the same, the Hills recognized a need for support. Fred asked his team to help support some of the families who had traveled long distances to be with their sick kids. The Eagles' management and owners partnered with a McDonald’s regional manager to offer their support to Dr. Audrey Evans, head of the pediatric oncology unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. A McDonald's general manager and an advertising agent came up with the green shake promotion, now known as the Shamrock shake, and the funds were used to buy a house near the hospital.

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The Ronald McDonald House Charities have served over 7.1 million children and their families in the U.S. and other countries.

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RMHCOhioValley.org - Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley

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Ronald McDonald House Charities believes when you change a child's life, you change a family's, which can change a community, and ultimately the world.

As pioneers of providing family centered care, RMHC strives to be a part of the solution by improving the lives of children and their families, providing programs that strengthen families during difficult times.

Through a strong network of RMHC Chapters around the world, we are able to identify needs and carry out the RMHC mission on the ground.
Ronald McDonald House Charities have been making a difference around the world for over 40 years! Visit RMHC Global for more information.

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RMHC Global - RMHCOhioValley.org - Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley

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Ronald McDonald House Charities believes when you change a child's life, you change a family's, which can change a community, and ultimately the world. As pioneers of providing family centered care, RMHC strives to be a part of the solution by improving the lives of children and their families, providing programs that strengthen families during difficult times.

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The Ronald McDonald House Charities operate about 387 programs around the world, including their houses, in hospital family rooms, care mobiles, art therapy and other non-clinical support programs.

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There are over 375 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide. Three of the houses are located in Kansas City. All three houses are near Children's Mercy in the downtown area. Their names are the Longfellow House, Wylie House, and Bernstein House. There is also a Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Children's Mercy downtown. It is like the houses but is located inside the hospital so families can stay closer to their children.

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There are also two amazing gardens located in the Kansas City area. One is called The Serenity Garden. It is a beautiful garden where families can go to relax after a hard day. The other is called Crown Garden. This one is used to grow fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers for the families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Kansas City.

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Hi I’m Jackson, and I got to serve meals and ice cream to families at the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Kansas City. This charity is important to me because it helps families when they’re having a hard time. To help out, I made chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and served ice cream. I also worked at home babysitting my little brother, mowing the lawn and taking care of my dogs to buy the ingredients. It was an experience that I will never forget.

When I helped out, I got to meet some amazing people. One family travels all the way from Arkansas twice a year for their daughter’s medical care. Even though they’re far from home, they told me how much the Ronald McDonald House staff feels like family to them.

I also met a family from Dodge City. Their son has been coming to Children’s Mercy for 14 years because he has a brain tumor. Hearing their story made me realize how strong these families are and how important it is for them to have a place to stay, food to eat, and people who care.

One of the best parts? The ice cream! A simple scoop may not seem like much, but it can brighten someone’s day. I saw kids light up when they got their favorite flavor, parents smiling as they took a break from stress, and even had a few funny moments. Like when I almost gave someone an ice cream mountain by accident! But hey, no complaints!

I thought I was just helping others, but I realized that they helped me too. Their kindness made me see that small moments matter. This experience taught me that giving back isn’t just about food or treats, it’s about connecting with people in need and it’s about showing people that they aren’t alone. Plus, working hard at home to buy the ingredients taught me about hard work and dedication.

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I chose to volunteer at two different Ronald McDonald House Charity houses. On April 6th I volunteered at the first location. It is inside the Children's Mercy Hospital downtown. That night I met a group of other volunteers and helped cook and serve dinner to everyone that was staying at that location. I made some pasta and helped bake the chicken nuggets. After all of our guests were finished, we boxed up meals that families could grab if they were on the go. On April 17th I volunteered at the second location. That one was located near Children's Mercy Hospital downtown on Cherry Street. I set up chocolate and vanilla ice cream and chopped toppings to lay out on the bar. Our guests were able to choose from Snickers, Oreos, Hersheys, bananas and a variety of syrups. As they walked down the line they told me what they wanted and helped me build their delicious sundaies. I had to buy all of the food that was served both nights so I made money by watching my little brother, helping with my dogs and mowing lawns.

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Families are never turned away because of their ability to pay. It costs about $50 to $100 per night to operate each room. Families can stay at no cost or are asked to make a donation up to $25 per day, if they can. When families are can't pay, the donations from generous people help make up the difference.

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Anyone with a family member who is 18 or younger and being treated at a nearby hospital is eligible to stay at a Ronald McDonald House. Some of the houses even let you stay if your child is 21 years or younger. Sometimes the patient even stays at the house if they are being treated as an outpatient at a nearby hospital.

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Ronald McDonald House Charities use big trucks to bring medical and dental help to children in under-served communities around the world. This program is called Ronald McDonald House Care Mobile. They partner with local health professionals to offer dental care, medical care, and health care resources to kids in need.

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Did you know that most of the funding for Ronald McDonald House Charities comes from individuals, businesses and private organizations?

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One of the biggest corporate sponsors is McDonald's. They raise money by selling specific items and giving a portion of those sales to the charity. The RMHC website says that McDonald's donated over $211 million dollars last year!

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Did you know that you can help too? A significant portion of the money donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities is from regular people like you! People can throw their change in the donation box at McDonald's or round up when they order and that extra change goes to the Charities. This may not seem like a lot but according to their website, 76 million dollars were donated by customers by using these two methods last year. That helped over 700k families stay near their child’s hospital.

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Ronald McDonald House Charities have been around for a long time but they continue to work and grow. Houses go up all over the U.S. and the world. During its 30th anniversary in 2012 the Ronald McDonald Charities in the Albany region built their third building. That building can help up to 25 families at a time!

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The Ronald McDonald House Charities have been helping families for over 50 years!

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There are other ways to help too. Some people host fundraisers, others sign up to volunteer or buy things from the wish list of a Ronald McDonald House Charity in their area. People even collect pop tabs that can be recycled for profit that is donated to the charity.

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The Charities are focusing on four key factors for their future. They want to serve more families, serve families better, develop global research and innovation and enhance their capacity and leadership. They hope that these initiatives will help them reach more families, help children get needed care and strengthen families throughout the world.