Charity Will Now Have 55 Bedroom Suites for Families
SAN DIEGO – July 13, 2017 – To keep even more families close to their hospitalized child, Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego reopened its original house today, named the Ronald McDonald House San Diego – North House, adding eight rooms and bringing the total overnight suites available for families to 55.
The demand for Ronald McDonald House’s services far exceeds its current capacity of 47 family suites. Every night, on average, 30 families who need a room must be placed on a waitlist. The addition of the North House provides eight more suites for families with a critically-ill or injured child in a local hospital, significantly reducing the waitlist. The North House is just a five-minute walk from the current Ronald McDonald House, and guests of the North House will have access to all the services at the current house.
“The North House will reduce the wait list for overnight beds and provide lodging, meals and emotional support to more families in medical crisis,” said Chuck Day, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. “While the North House is a huge victory, we know the need for our services is still strong. We plan to operate this remodeled North House for up to seven years while solidifying a path for long-term expansion, and our hope is to build a larger facility on this site, or at another location nearby.”
During Thursday’s opening event, more than 150 volunteers formed a human chain between the current facility and the North House to deliver supplies for the eight families who will begin residing in the North House beginning Monday, July 17. Formal remarks by Ronald McDonald House staff, board and families, and tours of the new facility also took place.
The North House is the site of the original San Diego Ronald McDonald House from the 1980s. In 2009, the Ronald McDonald House moved down the street to its current 47-bedroom location, and Rady Children’s Hospital took over the original space for medical offices. In February 2017, the hospital leased the property to Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego for $1 a year. Since then, a half-million-dollar renovation project has been underway to prepare the North House for families. More than $380,000 was raised in cash donations and approximately $150,000 was donated with in-kind services.
In-kind donors include: 3in1 Bathtub and Kitchen Refinishing, Inc.; America’s Best Flooring; Baker Electric; Balfour Beatty Construction; CFI; G/M Business Interiors; Green Life Floors; MILLS Communications, Inc.; Pacific Building Group; Pacific Green Landscaping; Pecoraro, Inc.; Reach Media Network; Tempur-Pedic; Tree Seed Media; Vista Paint; and Rady Children’s Hospital.
Special thanks to the organizations and individuals whose donations supported the reopening of the North House: Ronald McDonald House Charities Global; Letitia Hunte Swortwood; Price Philanthropies; Walter J. & Betty C. Zable Foundation; WebMD Health Foundation; Jolene & Owen Perry; San Diego Floor Covering Association; San Diego County McDonald’s Owner/Operator Association; and Betsy Manchester.
Renovations and ongoing operations are funded by community support. To make a donation to support the North House or to learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego, visit RMHCSD.org.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego
Founded in 1980, Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego provides a “home-away-from-home,” which keeps families close to one another and the care they need when their child is being treated for serious, often life-threatening conditions at local hospitals. San Diego’s Ronald McDonald House was specifically designed to provide the necessities of home – including 55 bedrooms, a kitchen and a children’s play area – to help strengthen families and bolster their psychological well-being during difficult times regardless of their situation or ability to pay. The Ronald McDonald House creates an emotional and physical sanctuary for nearly 15,000 family members each year. To learn more, visit rmhcsd.org.