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You can have a direct and immediate impact on families with seriously-ill children.
You can have a direct and immediate impact on families with seriously-ill children.
We strive to offer families a caring and compassionate environment by:
Each year, we serve over 6,600 families at our four Twin Cities locations:
Approximately 97% of the families we serve are from the Upper Midwest, with the rest coming to us from the remainder of the U.S. and across the globe.
The original Ronald McDonald House on Oak Street was an eight-room boarding house. Photo was taken in 1979 by Mike Krivit. We continue to do more to support families, thanks to tireless volunteers, generous donors and committed staff We began serving families with seriously ill children on October 20, 1979. A small but determined group of parents, physicians, friends and McDonald’s owner operators worked together to purchase and renovate a former boarding house near the University of Minnesota campus. On opening day, the House had room for just eight families. Over the past 35+ years, the organization has grown considerably. We’re now called Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest and we’ve expanded from a single house with limited space to four programs located across the metro area: We’re proud to provide a home-away-from-home to families with seriously-ill children who are seeking the expert medical care available in the Twin Cities.
From the moment the doors opened at the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, the McDonald’s system - including owner operators, suppliers, employees and customers - have called our mission their own. For 40 years, the entire system has opened its heart to us, providing invaluable support and fueling our growth from one House helping a few families to a multi-national network of family-centered programs serving nearly nine million children and families each year.
Although the McDonald’s system is our largest corporate partner, RMHC-UM is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, and no single company solely funds the growth of RMHC programs and services necessary to serve more families. We also rely on the support of the entire community and greatly value all donations to RMHC-UM, whether it’s through time, talent or treasure.
Our chapter, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest is stronger than ever due in large part to the continued support of the generous McDonald’s owner operators in Minnesota and western Wisconsin who make up the Twin Cities Co-Op. Co-Op members provide monetary support, serve on the Board and committees, volunteer at each of our Houses, and sponsor and attend events, all of which enable us to serve more families in more locations than ever before.
When local McDonald’s owner operators place donation boxes prominently in their restaurants and drive-thru lanes, they make it easy for their customers to support our work. The funds collected by these generous partners provide an enormous benefit to the families we serve.
We gratefully recognize the following McDonald’s business partners who support us as well. From financial support to in-kind donations, these companies enable us to fulfill our mission.
Each year, we serve over 5,000 families whose children are patients at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, Children’s – Minnesota and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
Our medical community supports RMHC-UM in a variety of ways, including serving on our Board and attending our events. It’s this kind of support that allows us to expand our program capacity and, together, to serve more families.
We, in partnership with our community, provide a comfortable and caring home-away-from-home that supports keeping families together and reduces stress during a child’s serious illness.