Just steps away from the Jefferson Davis Monument, children play, parents swap stories and families share meals at the Richmond Ronald McDonald House. Since 1980, the nine bedroom house on historic Monument Avenue has opened its door to families from across the nation and around the world who travel to Richmond for medical care.The Ronald House, located in Richmond's Fan District, provides a private bedroom to each family who then share five full bathrooms and two half bathrooms with other guests. Bedroom sizes vary, but care is taken to match room size to family size. Other common areas such as the large kitchen, sunlit breakfast nook, comfortable living room, formal dining room, computer room with Internet access and well-stocked playroom are also shared.Guests build friendships and draw support from others who also have a child in the hospital. Any family who has a child in any area hospital, regardless of income, can stay at the Ronald McDonald House. Despite their backgrounds, all of our guests have in common the anxieties and fears that come with having a child who is ill. Families come from all over Virginia, from as far north as New York and as far south as Florida and many foreign countries.At RMHC - Richmond parents are able to relax, cook a meal, watch television, play with their children in the playroom or just sit on the porch. The House provides not only a place to stay, but also an opportunity to meet with other parents whose children are in the hospital, many of which are located just miles from the Ronald House. Information is shared, volunteers prepare dinners, transportation is provided and caring bonds are established.The volunteer staff are the heart of the house and create a friendly, caring and warm atmosphere. Whether conducting a craft session or sharing a cup of coffee and, volunteers ensure that parents find a lot of comfort here. Many of our guests tell us they do not know how they would have made it without the support the other families and volunteers provide.The Richmond Ronald McDonald House is owned and operated by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond, VA, Inc., a private, non-profit charity. The local McDonald's owner operators very generously paid off the House's mortgage in the 1980s. Other funding for house operations and programs comes through local, national and international fundraising efforts and donations from individuals and businesses. In addition to the Ronald House, the Richmond chapter of Ronald McDonald House Charities also oversees Ronald Rooms at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (reserved for the most critical patients) and an annual scholarship award.There is a suggested family donation of $7.50 per room, per day. If guests do not have that, they are welcome to make a smaller donation, mail a payment later or we can waive the fee. Approximately 80% of our families cannot afford this small fee due to their increased medical expenses and the fact that usually one parent has to stop working to handle frequent hospitalizations.
