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“She was teeny, teeny tiny. But she's a fighter: Because of the Ronald McDonald House, I could be there and keep hoping. Sure Enough... a miracle.”
–Kari Gibson Mother of one-year-old Hannah
Branson,
MO
If your child is in the hospital, you are the focus of his or her strength. With caring loved ones nearby, your child is calmer and happier. Your presence helps him or her feel more secure about treatment and its progress. There is nothing more helpful to well-being than holding your child when he or she needs you.
It's agonizing to be away from an ill or injured child, but sometimes very difficult to arrange to be close by. That's why Ronald McDonald House offers a home away from home, a refuge from hospital procedures and a comfortable place where families can stay together while their seriously ill child receives treatment.
The Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks is truly a home. Each family has their own room, a comfortable bed and kitchen and laundry facilities. Donated food items are available in case they're needed, and, often, volunteers and special outside groups prepare entire meals for our guests.
Parents who stay at the Ronald House draw on the emotional support of others in similar situations. As a secure base of operations, it's a place from which families can deal more easily with the chaos and uncertainty brought on by catastrophic illness or injury.
Families with children from pre-birth through age 21 who are undergoing treatment at a Springfield medical facility may stay at the Ronald McDonald House. Ill Children receiving outpatient treatment also may stay at the House with their families.
Families traveling to Springfield for their child's medical treatment may make arrangements to stay at the House through a referral from their child's nurse, social worker or doctor before arriving.
Each family is asked to pay $7.00 per night. The need to be near ill children is so important that no family is ever turned away because of the inability to pay. The Ronald McDonald House has hosted thousands of families of all economic levels.
• A pager is available so parents can be reached by the hospital, their physician or family anytime, anywhere in Springfield.
• A van provides transportation to and from medical facilities four times a day.
• Special security measures keep our House a safe and secure place to stay.
The Ronald McDonald House also has limited resources available to assist with unexpected emergency transportation, food, medication and clothing, should the need arise.
The Ronald McDonald House is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by dedicated members of our management team and volunteers. Office hours are 9 AM to 9 PM.
Greatly needed support for our Ronald McDonald house comes soley from the private sector, including generous individuals, groups and corporations. Among our supporters are dozens of local McDonald's restaurants and their customers. From these gifts, the House serves nearly 400 families a year.
The need is great because our task is so important: Helping families be close when their ill children most need them. We depend on the generosity of people in the Ozarks to sustain this mission of comfort.
The Ronald McDonald House needs contributions from individuals and corporations. It is how these priceless services continue to be available to families in the Ozarks.
You are invited to be part of this good work by volunteering time, providing meals for families, taking part in special events, donating an item on our wish list, contributing money or in-kind items, or praying for our guests and their families.
Please call us at 417-875-3500. Your help is greatly needed and sincerely appreciated by the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks, our guest families... and the children.
949 E. Primrose St.
Springfield, MO 65807
417.886.0225
For information on other
Ronald McDonald Houses,
visit www.rmhc.org.
The concept of Ronald McDonald House started with Fred Hill of the Philadelphia Eagles whose young daughter Kim had leukemia. After her treatment, he and his teammates were determined to do something to benefit families of hospitalized children. Hill consulted his daughter's physician, Dr. Audrey Evans, who envisioned a home close to a hospital where families could relax, discuss mutual concerns and stay, temporarily at a low cost. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in 1974.
Often called the House That Love Built, the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks opened in 1988. The two-story, 14-bedroom home is conveniently located on Springfield's "Medical Mile," at 949 East Primrose Street.