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The Story of the Providence Ronald McDonald House During 1986, a concerned group of people from Women and Infants and Rhode Island Hospitals met to discuss the need for a home-away-from-home for families of critically ill children. Cognizant of the growing number of parents sleeping on chairs, pull-out cots, and in waiting areas in both hospitals, this group (expanding to include parents) investigated several possibilities for establishing a "Ronald McDonald House" or a similar facility.
By mid-1987, "The Family House Interest Group" was formed, and a Board of Directors with appropriate officers was established. Articles of Incorporation and all necessary forms were filed with the IRS, and the Family House Interest Group, Inc. was designated a 501-C-3 organization (tax exempt).
On December 21, 1987, a Grant of License from the McDonald's Corporation was issued to the Family House Interest Group, Inc. as a charitable organization charged with owning, operating, and maintaining temporary housing for seriously ill children and their families. The House was then named the Providence Ronald McDonald House.
Since our doors opened on November 6, 1989, we have provided temporary housing for more than 5,000 families. These families are from towns and cities as far away as Rome or Athens or as close as North Providence or Barrington.
Our House is available to families with children undergoing critical medical care. Families staying at the House may have a tiny infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women and Infants Hospital, or children of any age being treated at Hasbro or Bradley for a multitude of conditions or illnesses.
In 2002, the House went through a major renovation to add more rooms for families, a quiet room for staff to meet with families as needed, more handicap accessibility, as well as an elevator.
The Providence Ronald McDonald House is a community partnership. The project joins concerned local citizens with business and medical community leaders in an effort to help families in a time of serious need. The members of the Board include parents whose children have received treatment or are being treated for a serious illness, as well as other volunteers from community service organizations and local business and civic leaders. This diverse group formed a task force that carried the project through completion and to operation. These volunteers were involved in planning, construction, fund raising, generating community awareness, securing goods and services for the House and ongoing House operations.
The Ronald McDonald House of Providence, Inc. is a local, non-profit organization responsible for the Providence Ronald McDonald House program and for all the facets of House operations. The House is owned, operated, and maintained by the Board of Directors and is their sole responsibility. Members and directors are unpaid volunteers. In addition, numerous local and national organizations and national companies provide support through volunteerism, material donations, and monetary contributions.
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