Orange County Ronald McDonald House

The mission of the Ronald McDonald House® Orange County (RMHOC) is to provide comfort, care, and support to families with children in need of medical treatment in Southern California hospitals. Our vision is to create a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage, and joy.

After recognizing the need to support the whole family when a child is seriously ill or injured, the first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia, PA, USA, in 1974 - creating a global charity. That was the beginning of our role as a unique charity dedicated to caring for families with children who are ill or injured. Our programs and services address the essential needs of families around the world - all along their child’s healthcare journey - so they can focus on the health and well-being of their child.

In 1989, that same need came to light in Orange County when another father found himself trying to curl up on a chair, stretch out on a hard bench and grab a quick snooze in his truck during his son's three-year cancer treatment journey. Dr. Geni Bennetts at CHOC invited that father and a half dozen other parents of children with cancer to dinner, encouraging them to form the first board of trustees for RMHOC. Fast forward to November of that year, the doors of RMHOC opened on two lots across the street from the hospital.

Now, RMHOC is one of eleven programs within the Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southern California chapter, supporting the House and two Ronald McDonald Family Room® programs at CHOC in Orange and CHOC at Mission Hospital in South Orange County.

Families that rely on RMHOC come from Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, and other counties throughout Southern California and beyond. In 2023, nearly 80% of our families were referred to the House from Children’s Hospital Orange County (CHOC) with additional referrals coming in from UCI Medical Center, Kaiser Anaheim, and Fountain Valley Regional.

Prior to 2020, the 20-room House had been operating at 105% capacity. Not wanting to turn any families away, RMHOC accommodated them with a Share-A-Night program, providing families with hotel rooms at quality establishments near medical centers. This need sparked a planned renovation to expand the number of guest rooms from 20 to 44, serving more families in need and making a larger impact.

In conjunction with the Family Room programs, RMHOC's impact in 2023 served 1,299 family members with 6,680 nights provided, as well as 21,620 visits to a Family Room - a place of solace and respite located directly in the hospital. In addition, families were supported with 190 shuttle rides and 531 Meals of Love -dinners sponsored and served by community partners and volunteers- saving over $85,000 in total meal costs.

Each year, thousands of children facing long-term and acute critical illness, including severe heart conditions, come to Orange County with their families to access nationally renowned pediatric healthcare facilities. While the Journal of the American Psychological Association reports that family participation in a child’s healthcare is encouraged, many families face logistical and financial challenges with transportation, food and lodging, care for other family members, and lost wages due to absence from employment – all of which can prohibit them from being by their child’s bedside. Through a comprehensive family-centered approach, RMHOC helps families access critical health services and increases the ability of parents and caregivers to spend time with their children in the hospital, interact with care providers, and participate in care decisions. Through these services, RMHOC reduces the psychological, emotional, and financial stress families face and helps to improve clinical outcomes.

With some of the nation’s most renowned pediatric physicians based in Orange County, the families we serve come from across the state, country, and the world—24% from Riverside County, 36% San Bernardino County, 14% Orange and Los Angeles Counties, 13% Other California Counties, 11% Out of State, and 2% International.

Children heal faster when they are with their families. At RMHOC, we see it every day. And while RMHOC may not be able to make the medicine taste better or erase the pain of a much-needed treatment, we can help lessen the burden for the families we serve. Our family-centered care allows parents to stay strong so that they can be true advocates for their children. Since 1989, when our House opened, we have been making children happier and healthier by keeping their family close, giving them a place to rest and refresh. 

Nothing is more frightening for a parent than to be suddenly faced with a life-threatening medical crisis involving their child; particularly when the medical services they need are not close to home. At RMHOC, we are dedicated to providing a unique oasis of care, counseling and nourishment for families with a child who is seriously ill. Through the support provided by the Orange County community, in terms of volunteers and financial contributors, we are able to assist families in a manner that allows them to focus on their child’s medical emergency.

As the Board of Trustees Chair, I have heard firsthand from families whose stay at the House was transformational for them as they traveled through their child’s medical journey. The support provided by the House and the ability to interact with other families facing similar issues let them know they were not alone in their fight to address their child’s illness.

And as a Board member, I have no hesitation in asking my friends and family members to donate to the House because I know it is a good steward of the funds contributed and is making a difference in the lives of people who find themselves suddenly needing assistance with caring for their child.