Ronald McDonald House

thumb|Ronald McDonald House in [[Essen, Germany, designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser]]

thumb|Ronald McDonald House in [[Salzburg, Austria]]

thumb|Ronald McDonald House in [[Wagga Wagga, New South Wales|Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia]]

thumb|Ronald McDonald House collection canister

Ronald McDonald House is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing for children who are ill or injured.

Ronald McDonald House has a global network of chapters in 62 countries and regions under three core programs: Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.

Programs

The first Ronald McDonald House was opened in Philadelphia in 1974. Jim Murray, general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles, was raising funds for one of his players' (Fred Hill) daughters when he met Children's Hospital of Philadelphia oncologist Dr. Audrey Evans. They partnered with Elkman Advertising which handled marketing for McDonald's, and the charity took the name of the latter's mascot.

Houses

There are over 394 Ronald McDonald Houses in 62 countries. These accommodate families with hospitalized children under 21 years of age (or 18 or 26, depending on the House), who are being treated at nearby hospitals and medical facilities. These houses are located near the special care hospitals. Ronald McDonald Houses allow families to stay free of charge.

Family Rooms

There are over 278 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in 28 countries.

Care Mobiles

There are 41 Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles in ten countries.

International

In 1981, the first Ronald McDonald House outside the United States opened, in Toronto, Ontario.

The Ronald McDonald's Learning Program (Australia only) was formed in 1997 to help children who had suffered minor illness and returned to school. Its stated mission is to provide "educational support" to these children who have fallen behind in their education. It was first piloted in 1997 by Tracey Webster.

The Ronald McDonald's Learning Program supplies students with a cognitive and educational assessment by an educational psychologist, 40 hours of individual tutoring by a qualified teacher and 10 sessions of speech or occupational therapy, if required.

Other Ronald McDonald House Australia activities include Family Rooms in fourteen hospitals. Ronald McDonald House Australia also operates Family Retreats that enable families of sick children to take a holiday for a week.

Ronald McDonald House Charity Australia is also the major private donor to cord blood banks in Australia, providing a 10-year $A1 million commitment.

Hong Kong

The first Ronald McDonald House in Hong Kong was opened in 1996 in Sha Tin.

The second House in Kwun Tong District near to the Hong Kong Children's Hospital.

Norway

On May 21, 2016, Ronald McDonald Barnefond (Ronald McDonald Children's Fund), along with Stine Sofies Stiftelse, opened the world's first camp and learning center for children. Stine Sofie Stiftelse first joined forces with Ronald McDonald Barnefond in 2015. The initial purpose was to fix houses where children of abuse and their families could stay for a day free of charge.

Pop Tab Program

The Ronald McDonald House Pop Tab Collection Program was established to allow individuals and businesses to collect soda pop tabs from aluminum cans and donate them to their local Ronald McDonald House chapter or Ronald McDonald's House. Though each program differs, for the most part, Ronald McDonald House chapters use the money received from recycling the tabs to help offset operational expenses or to sponsor or support programs. Not all Houses participate in the Pop Tab Program. Collected pop tabs are used by Ronald McDonald House to fund their work.

The Alpha Delta Pi sorority partners with Ronald McDonald House to promote and participate in the Pop Tab Program.

Partnership with McDonald's

The Ronald McDonald House has a program to help support the house through the donation of money from each happy meal purchased at McDonalds. With the purchase of each happy meal two cents is donated to the charity. In 2021 more than $168 million was donated to the Ronald McDonald House through the donations from McDonalds.

The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the Ronald McDonald's House Charities of Austin and Central Texas (Ronald McDonald House-ACT) with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest level of sustainable building in the nation.

Criticism

Ronald McDonald House has been criticised as an attempt by McDonald's to distract from its role in contributing to childhood obesity and animal welfare issues. Anne Markwardt of Foodwatch, which researches food industry practices, said that "One has to remember that a large amount of the funding does not come from McDonald's itself but from private, corporate or other donors." In 2013 it was estimated by Corporate Accountability International that McDonald's contributed about 5% of the funding and about 30% came from McDonald's customers' donations. Markwardt said that the houses are "used as marketing ploys for profitable but unhealthy products, as well as means of indirect political influence," noting that politicians regularly visited for photo opportunities.

References

External links

Ronald McDonald House official website
Ronald McDonald House Thailand official website