How Did the Ronald McDonald Houses Start?

Ronald McDonald Houses started in 1973 with a three-year-old girl. The girl, Kim Hill, daughter of Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill, was receiving treatment for leukemia at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Determined to do something to benefit families using Children’s Hospital, Hill and his Eagles’ teammates approached Kim’s physician, Dr. Audrey Evans, Head haematologist/oncologist. Dr. Evans expressed the serious need for a home facility near the hospital.

This led to a joint fundraising effort with the Philadelphia area McDonald’s Restaurant owners which, in turn, resulted in the purchase and renovation of an older, seven bedroom home near the hospital. The Philadelphia House opened in 1974.

After the 1975 opening of the second Ronald McDonald House in Chicago, a group of Toronto-based parents of children with oncology related illness went to Chicago to visit the House. These parents, along with representatives from the Hospital for Sick Children and local McDonald’s restaurants, developed the first House to open outside the U.S. After the 1981 launch of the Toronto House, additional houses soon opened in Montreal, Halifax, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Calgary, London, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Quebec City, and Hamilton.

Located close to paediatric medical facilities and capable of welcoming approximately 15 to 20 families at one time, each House is operated by an independent, non-profit organization and relies on individual and corporate donors for the products and funds required to run the Houses.

Today, there are over 250 independently owned and operated Houses around the world in over 30 countries ranging from Canada and Mexico to Great Britain and Hong Kong. Offering more than 6000 bedrooms worldwide and supported by nearly 25 000 volunteers who donate one million hours of their time annually, since 1974 Ronald McDonald Houses have provided the hope and help for more than 10 million family members that is the heart of every good home.