first-line: Philadelphia 1974 second-line: First Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House
11109 Parkview Plaza Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46845
Call for detailed directions: 260-266-3590
Mission
Ronald McDonald House of Northeast Indiana provides a dedicated bridge of support to families of ill children and believes in the healing power of family.
Vision
Whether it’s the Ronald McDonald House located inside Parkview Regional Medical Center which keeps families close during a child’s hospitalization or the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile which brings preventive health care to young children; Ronald McDonald House of Northeast Indiana will elevate family centered care by deepening relationships with healthcare providers and community partners to expand services for families regardless of their circumstances.
Our History
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974. Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill and his wife Fran’s young daughter Kim was battling leukemia. They wanted to do something to ease the suffering of families enduring long hospital stays and treatments. With the help of Dr. Audrey Evans, head of pediatric oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Leonard Tose, the Eagles’ owner, Jim Murray, the Eagles’ General Manager, and Ed Rensi, the McDonald’s Regional Manager, the initial funds were raised to buy a house near the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for families to stay while their children were hospitalized. The Philadelphia area McDonald’s owner/operators donated proceeds from the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake which provided much of the funding for the first house. The Ronald McDonald House movement took off quickly after the initial house. Ronald McDonald House Charities was established in 1984 and by 1986 100 Ronald McDonald Houses were operating. In the last 40 years, the Ronald McDonald House program has grown to 365 Houses in 43 countries.
Locally, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Indiana opened a Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Parkview Randallia in 2002. The Ronald McDonald Family Room was later re-licensed as a Ronald McDonald House with 6 guest rooms. In 2012, the Ronald McDonald House moved to its current home inside the Parkview Regional Medical Center. After undergoing an expansion in 2015, the Ronald McDonald House now offers 15 guest rooms and serves approximately 600 families each year.
The charity expanded its impact further by launching a Ronald McDonald Care Mobile in July 2018. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile is a doctor’s office on wheels—delivering Parkview Physicians Group – Pediatrics providers to your neighborhood. Now, children 0 – 18 years have more convenient access to health services, such as wellness visits and shots.
