For many families, the news that their child needs medical care is a terrifying piece of news. It’s made all the more stressful when they learn that, to receive the care their child needs, they’ll need to travel far from the comforts and support network of home. That’s where Ronald McDonald House comes in, providing housing, food, recreational activities, and other forms of support to families of children traveling for medical needs.
Ronald McDonald House serves nearly 700 unique locations and programs, mostly through three core programs.
- Ronald McDonald Houses provide a temporary “home base” for families. Basic needs, like food and housing, are taken care of, and individual house locations also provide other services like education, art and music, gardening, recreation, sibling and family support, and more.
- Ronald McDonald Family Rooms provide private rooms for families within hospitals themselves. Located just steps away from their children’s rooms, these private areas provide a place for families to pause, recharge, or even take care of needs like showering, napping, doing laundry, or grabbing a bite to eat.
- Ronald McDonald Care Mobile programs bring the support of Ronald McDonald House to underserved communities around the world. Partnering with service providers, the Care Mobiles visit communities to provide medical and dental education, preventative care, primary care, diagnoses, testing referrals, and follow-up care to communities in need.
Around the world, Ronald McDonald House has provided over 1.4 million overnight stays to families in need, with the help of over 136,000 volunteers and countless generous donors, from large corporations to individual giving. 88 cents per donated dollar go to actual program work, assuring those who give that they’re getting help to those who need it most.
Blue Rock is proud to highlight and support the incredible work of Ronald McDonald House as part of our Blue Rock Gives Back Program. This program lets our employees choose a cause that is personally important to them. The Ronald McDonald House is the charity chosen by Brian Cox, Director of Client Relationship Development at Blue Rock Search.
“In 2019, one of my family’s best friends relied on the Ronald McDonald House to stay near her preemie baby because the hospital they needed to be at was in a different state,” said Brian. “Without this amazing charity, they would not have been able to afford a place to stay for 4 months while their child was in the NICU.”