The First Ronald McDonald House

In 1973 Fred Hill, a Philadelphia Eagles football player, and his wife Fran learned that their daughter, Kim, was diagnosed with leukemia. After traveling to Philadelphia for Kim’s treatments, they noticed a number of families and children in the same situation. Some families even drove hours so they could be close to their children, sleeping overnight in waiting rooms and eating from vending machines because they had no place else to go.

Fred Hill decided to do something about this situation, and with the help of his team they decided to build a “home away from home” for people in Philadelphia. With the help of McDonald’s, they purchased and restored a house near the hospitals so families could have a place to stay. The house became known as the Ronald McDonald House. Today families from all over the world benefit from what Fred Hill, The Eagles and McDonald’s started thirty-eight years ago.

The Greenville Ronald McDonald House

The Greenville Ronald McDonald House gave fathers a great gift on Father’s Day by opening its doors in 1987. Families can feel like they’re home sleeping in a warm Tempur-Pedic bed, taking showers in their private bathroom, doing laundry, and preparing meals in a spacious kitchen. They can relax in a comfortable family room, enjoy the media/game room, sit in the sunroom and let their other children run around in the playroom. Everything a family could need is here in an inviting, 15,000 foot facility with the following amenities:

· 21 Guest Bedrooms with Private Bath and Phone


· 2 Rooms Accommodate Immune Suppressed children


· Living Room Sponsored by Michael Jordan


· Game Room


· Children’s Playroom


· Multi-Family Kitchen and Dining Area


· Sun Room, Covered Porch and Patio


· Laundry Room


· Computer Availability with Wireless Internet Access

More importantly, families can find the support of others who share the experience of having a very ill child.

Our Relationship with McDonald’s

While the Ronald McDonald House is a non-profit corporation, McDonald’s has done more than it’s fair share in donating time and money helping all the Houses. Every year McDonald’s and owner/operators of local McDonald’s restaurants graciously fund portions of the annual operating costs for the Ronald McDonald House. McDonald’s involvement thankfully extends well beyond monetary support:

· Franchises partner with local chapters for promotional
  and fundraising events.

· McDonald’s employees are dedicated volunteers.

· Owner/operators participate in local and global
  Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC) boards.

· RMHC donation boxes hosted in restaurants are the
  largest source of ongoing RMHC global fundraising.

· In-restaurant sales of USA Today are all donated to RMHC.

· McDonald's conducts an annual fundraiser in November called
  McHappy Day. Since 2002, it has raised $150 million for
  RMHC and children's charities around the world.