Ronald McDonald House Charities® was born out of the unlikely partnership of Dr Audrey Evans, an oncologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, McDonald’s and the American Football team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
It all began in Philadelphia in 1974 when three-year-old Kim Hill, the daughter of Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill and his wife, Fran, was being treated for leukaemia at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.
During Kim’s three years of treatment, the Hills often camped out on hospital chairs and benches and ate makeshift meals out of vending machines, while they watched other parents doing the same thing. They learned that many of the families travelled great distances to bring their children to the medical facility but couldn’t afford hotel rooms.
The Hills knew that there had to be a solution. Fred rallied the support of his Eagles teammates to raise funds. Through Jim Murray, the Eagles’ general manager, the team offered its support to Dr. Audrey Evans, head of the paediatric oncology unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Evans dreamed of a comfortable temporary residence for families of children being treated at her hospital.
Murray enlisted Don Tuckerman from the local McDonald’s advertising agency, who with the support of McDonald’s Regional Manager Ed Rensi, launched the St. Patrick’s Day Green Milkshake (now known as the Shamrock Shake) promotion. Funds raised went toward purchasing an old house located near the hospital.
And thus on 15 October 1974, the first Ronald McDonald House opened its doors. Today, more than 375 Ronald McDonald Houses in over 62 regions and countries support families around the world – providing comfort to more than 10 million families.
In New Zealand, Ronald McDonald House Charities was established as an independent charity in 1989. Lionel Whitehead was instrumental in galvanising support and in 1989 McDonalds and its Franchisees unanimously agreed to form RMHC in NZ pledging a lifetime commitment in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities.
