How it all began
Nearly fifty years ago, a young girl was diagnosed with cancer. She needed her family’s support and care as much as they needed to be with her. Dr. Audrey Evans, head of Pediatric Oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia had been dreaming of temporary housing where families could stay to be near their child. Rallying together in support of this vision, an NFL team, McDonald’s® and an entire community made the dream of the first Ronald McDonald House® a reality.
Your support creates magic
In the early 1980s, Dr. John Genrich saw the need for housing that would keep families together, providing the care they needed during times of medical crisis. With support from local McDonald’s restaurants, the Junior League, Memorial Hospital and our generous community, our Ronald McDonald House® opened its doors on February 14, 1987 – thus, we lovingly call it the “House that Love Built”. As a house of healing for over 100 years, (first as a TB sanatorium, then dormitory living for Bethel nursing students), our Ronald McDonald House® was a home for more than 10,500 families in the first 32 years.