Who We Serve
Ronald McDonald House Charities serves families whose children are receiving care for a serious illness or injury at a Kansas City area hospital or treatment facility. Many of the children we serve are admitted to the hospital for: pediatric intensive care, burns, cardiac care, hematology, oncology and neo-natal intensive care.
Families living 35 miles or more outside the metropolitan area have top priority to stay at the Ronald McDonald Houses. Any family member or guest of a child receiving in-patient care at The Children’s Mercy Hospital may use the Ronald McDonald Family Room.
Last Year Ronald McDonald House Charities:
- Lodged nearly 2,100 families in our Ronald McDonald Houses
- Average family stayed 9 nights in the standard rooms and 29 nights in the suites (for immuno-suppressed children); many families stayed for months at a time
- Families represented 26 different states (including Kansas and Missouri) and 4 different countries (U.S., Canada, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay)
- Served nearly 10,000 families in the Ronald McDonald Family room and received close to 38,000 visitors needing a place to relax, refresh and regroup, away from the hospital's intense environment
- Helped families from 11 different hospitals in the Kansas City area
Family Stories: Ellie Rose
My name is Ellie Rose. I was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (an aggressive form of leukemia) at seven months old in March 2004. My family rapidly realized that our lives would be replanted during my course of treatment.
Ronald McDonald House quickly became my family's area of respite. They were able to have somewhat of a normal household environment with my older sister, Sylvia, and my grandparents who routinely visited and participated in my care.
When a medical illness uproots a family from their home, everyday activities like eating a home-cooked meal, chatting on the back porch, doing laundry, watching TV and surfing the Internet quickly become lost. Ronald McDonald House provided my family with all of these daily life activities and much more.
My family is encouraged to learn that the new Ronald McDonald House in Longfellow Park will accommodate families like ours who deal with immune deficiencies. We are so thankful to the Ronald McDonald House and the numerous volunteers who serve families every day.