rmhspokanetour

History and Geography of Ronald McDonald Houses

Ms. Adams, a student at Washington State University in Pullman, came to our class to tell us about the history of the Ronald McDonald Houses.

She brought us a video that told how the Ronald McDonald Houses got started. Here is what we learned from the video:

1. In 1974, a woman doctor named Audrey Evans, who had dedicated her life to saving children with cancer said, "There's something else we really need...to provide a home away from home for children and their families when they need hospital care." She knew families needed a home near the hospitals when they were miles away from their own homes.

2. The first Ronald McDonald House was built in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flyers team helped start the first Ronald McDonald House.

3. A Ronald McDonald House can be a second home to families with a child staying at the hospital. Children who are sick and need hospital doctors' care but don't need to stay overnight in the hospital can stay with their families in the Ronald McDonald Houses.

4. When children get medicine for curing cancer, sometimes their hair comes out. When they stay at a Ronald McDonald House, they can be with other children who lost their hair too and that helps them feel better. Children who stay at the Ronald McDonald House meet new friends and that helps them feel better and that helps them get better.

5. Ronald McDonald volunteers and people who work at the Ronald McDonald Houses help take care of the houses. They make things for the children. They fix food for families. They clean the house and put clean sheets on the beds.

6. Ronald McDonald Houses are all over the world. There are Ronald McDonald Houses in Australia,Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and United States. At least 47 states in the United States have Ronald McDonald Houses. You can learn more about the Ronald McDonald Houses around the world by going to this website: http://www.rmhc.com/about/programs/education/rmh/rmh.html

7. Ronald McDonald Houses are not connected to hospital buildings but they are located near them.

Here is an image of us watching the Ronald McDonald Video that Ms. Adams brought to our class.

Ms. Adams' sorority makes small cloth bears for children at Ronald McDonald Houses. She brought three of the bears for us to have in our classroom for awhile before they went to a Ronald McDonald House. Here is an image of one of the friendly, soft bears sitting on one of our classroom chairs!

Thank you, Ms. Adams for helping us learn so much about Ronald McDonald Houses!!!

If you would like to learn more about Ronald McDonald Houses you can go to this website:

http://www.rmhc.com/about/index.html

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