The founders of the first Ronald McDonald House believed that no child should face the weight of illness alone. They designed programs that keep families near each other and the medical care they need.
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in 1974 and was inspired by Kim Hill. Kim was four-year-old who battled leukemia while her dad, Fred, a Philadelphia Eagles football player, and mom, Fran, slept on waiting room chairs and ate from vending machines so they could always be by Kim’s side.
When Jimmy Murray, general manager for the Philadelphia Eagles, asked what could be done, Dr. Audrey Evans, a pioneering oncologist at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia, gave him a list. At the top was a house near the hospital where parents could rest to be strong for their children. Dr. Evans believed that family was an integral part of children’s care.
Jimmy approached McDonald’s owner/operators with the idea and they thus donated the proceeds of Shamrock Shake sales to the purchase of what is now the Ronald McDonald House.
They say the rest is history, but in this case, it was the start of a global organization that inspires communities to support families with sick children and which serves millions of children worldwide.
Inspired by Dr. Evans’ vision for innovative care, the founders of the Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park—Lyn Jurick, a trustee at LIJ (now Northwell Health System); Irving Klein, a prominent McDonald’s owner/ operator; and Dr. Philip Lanzkowsky, the chief of staff of Schneider Children’s Hospital (now Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York)—knew the Long Island and Queens community would support families traveling far from home for their children’s treatment.
The Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park has a rich history. It was the 100th house in the system and opened with 18 rooms on September 29, 1986. Since that day, the House has expanded to 42 bedrooms, eight kitchens—including two Kosher kitchens—laundry facilities, a library and numerous indoor and outdoor spaces where families come together as a community.
To date, extraordinary volunteers have provided more than 33,000 families with a comfortable bed to sleep in and warm meals. Other moms, dads, aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters have surrounded them, comforting each other during every setback and celebrating every milestone together.
Our Ronald McDonald House founders created a community that serves more than 3,500 families each year—and is still growing. Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Metro is now expanding to meet the needs of families in our community through the operation of a Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park. As well as two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
Become part of this compassionate community of support and to give to our cause.
