Faced with a child’s illness, life stops overnight. Parents enter a world of fear and worry including the travel needed to get that attention. Ronald McDonald House Charities removes a vital worry from your list by providing affordable housing near local hospitals, with all the amenities of home.
In 1981, St. Louis opened its first Ronald McDonald House, offering eight bedrooms as a home-away-from-home for families traveling to the area. Today, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis has three locations and 59 total bedrooms – on top of four Family Rooms inside local children’s hospitals.
Far from its humble roots, RMHC St. Louis is also looking toward the future.
“On any given night, 20 to 25 families are on our waiting lists – that’s one of the reasons we’re looking for extra capacity,” says Dan Harbaugh, president. “We’re breaking ground [on the newest Ronald McDonald House] on Dec. 2, and it will take 16 months to build the new facility.”
People are also reading…
The new Ronald McDonald House will be located in the St. Louis’ Grove business district, at the intersection of Chouteau and Tower Grove avenues and easily accessible to both St. Louis Children’s Hospital and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The location will provide 72 new rooms, raising the total number of the charity’s rooms to 92.
You can help support its creation with a gift to the nonprofit’s Let’s Make Room campaign, raising more than $30 million toward opening the new Ronald McDonald House debt-free. On top of that, Harbaugh adds that there are countless ways you can give back this winter.
“We have a lot of ways for people to volunteer at the homes and the Family Rooms or on a committee for one of our events, as well as bringing in dinners for the families or helping us with our wish lists,” he says. “We’re also always looking to replenish our McGift Shoppe during the month of December, where families can shop for donated gifts free of charge.”
This holiday season, help give back to families all across St. Louis and beyond, helping them find peace in a tumultuous time.
“We’re so thankful for the support of the St. Louis community the last 41 years to be able to provide this hospitality to folks who come to St. Louis,” Harbaugh concludes. “Many families come here for the first time and leave absolutely loving and being appreciative of our great city.”
Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis, 3450 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-1100, rmhcstl.com
