At the Heart of Giving Back

March 22nd, 2021 | News

March is the time of year when we reflect on one of our sweetest legacy of love stories.  One which brought together a sick little girl, a devoted pediatric oncologist, a big-hearted football team, a major global corporation…and a shamrock shake.  Together, they understood the critical importance of families staying together near their sick child and vowed to create a “home-away-from-home” when they needed it most.

Love is at the very heart of our mission and has been since the first Ronald McDonald House doors opened in Philadelphia in 1974, and again in Madison in 1993.  From the beginning, corporate partnerships have been a cornerstone of RMHC. Like so many, the leaders and employees of these businesses have a personal connection with the Ronald McDonald House.  They understand first-hand what this nurturing, caring facility provides families during a medical crisis. As parents, grandparents, colleagues, and friends, they have their own story of how RMHC impacted their life.

We are forever grateful to our founding mission partner, McDonald’s. The “McFamily,” as they are fondly known, directly supports a quarter of our operating budget each year.  While the Shamrock Shake helped establish the first Ronald McDonald House more than 40 years ago, this critical partnership continues to evolve.

Now, you can support our programs through RoundUp for RMHC, or by purchasing a Happy Meal or cookie at one of 80 restaurants in the area.  As you travel outside south-central Wisconsin and Rockford, know that your purchase feeds and comforts families at one of 377 RMHC chapters across the globe!  While the pandemic restricted or suspended the number of families some chapters could serve, they were agile and innovative, converting Houses into respite centers for frontline health care workers.  Think of the impact!

Yet it’s not just McDonald’s who believes in our mission. Countless corporate partners step forward with in-kind donations, providing meals, direct contributions or sponsoring events and programs each year.

Medical crises are never planned.  Nor do they prepare families for the devastating financial and logistical challenges of being far from home. Every gift reduces the burden of costly hotel and travel expenses for families living hours or even a plane ride away. Whether as an individual or corporate partner, your gift provides that “home-away-from-home” with a warm, comfortable bed, meals, and a caring staff to support families when they need it most. It also supports the Ronald McDonald Family Room at SSM Health-St. Mary’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, which provides free immunizations and wellness checks to under-served children in the Rockford area.

If you are interested in learning how your company can help our families, please contact our Development Team. Now more than ever, giving back is one way we can all move forward together.