The Southern California chapter of Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) is the largest in the U.S. with total assets exceeding $30 million. Its genesis began in 1977 with the planning for the region’s first Ronald McDonald House® in Los Angeles, mere blocks from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. That House opened in 1980 as a 16-bedroom home-away-from-home for families of children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses and injuries. When it opened its doors, the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House was only the third in the network (which today exceeds more than 245 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide). The House currently houses 35 families, and will open a new wing with 40 additional rooms in December 2007.
In 1982, a group of caring individuals teamed to develop Camp Good Times, a year-round camp designed to give children with cancer a break from hospitals and an opportunity to just be “ordinary kids” by enjoying an exciting camping adventure. Two years later, it was re-named Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times®. As part of its master plan for expansion and permanence, the Camp relocated to the pine-filled mountain community of Idylwild just west of Palm Springs.
By 1989, a second local house was built in Orange County, adjacent to Children’s Hospital of Orange County at Orange, but also within proximity of UCI Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital and other medical centers. This facility possessed the ability to accommodate 20 families. The House also manages a Ronald McDonald Family Room at Children’s Hospital of Orange County at Mission Viejo, Calif. An extension of the services of the Orange County Ronald McDonald House, the Family Room is a respite located inside the hospital that can house two pediatric in-patient families per night. A second Ronald McDonald House Family Room is scheduled to open at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in September 2007.
In 1995, another Ronald McDonald House was built in Loma Linda, near world famous Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. This 19-room house made the local charitable chapter the first anywhere to operate three Ronald Houses. This facility subsequently added three private duplexes to supplement the house’s ability to accommodate families. Additionally, the House operates an off-site three-room, long-term housing facility located adjacent to Loma Linda Children’s Hospital.
On Valentine’s Day 2004, the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House opened its doors. Affectionately nicknamed the “House that Love Built,” this seven-room Craftsman-style home is adjacent to Huntington Hospital and serves families from 14 other hospitals throughout the San Gabriel Valley. A neighboring home was added to boost the total overnight capacity to 11 families.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California (RMHCSC) recently announced plans to expand its programs by building a new Ronald McDonald House in Long Beach, Calif.
In addition to the four Ronald McDonald Houses and Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, RMHCSC also operates a Community Grants Board and four scholarship programs. The Community Grants Board has awarded more than 600 grants totaling more than $13 million to Southern California organizations that directly benefit children. The four scholarship programs have awarded more than $2.7 million in college scholarships to deserving high school seniors since 1990.
