Keeping Families Close
Imagine being a child with a chronic or life-threatening illness – frightened, hurting, questioning. Now imagine being that child's parent – short on answers, long on helplessness, and scared beyond words. What both need most are each other.
Ronald McDonald House Charities® South Central Ontario provides families in crisis a home away from home when life is far from ordinary.
Opened in 1993, our 40-bedroom House located just steps away from the hospital serves families from across the region. Whether you're from Niagara to Hamilton-Halton, from Brant to Kitchener-Waterloo, we provide families with a child being treated in hospital the opportunity to stay close when they need it most.
RMHC®SCO also operates three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms (two in McMaster Children's Hospital and one on the pediatric floor of Marotta Family Hospital). These rooms serve as places of respite where families can grab a coffee or a bite to eat or relax and experience a sense of normalcy without having to leave their child in hospital.
Ronald McDonald House Charities® South Central Ontario Charitable Registration #13277 9836 RR0001
Our House & Family Rooms
Dedicated to our Mission
Our Mission is to provide a warm, compassionate, and safe home away from home for families of seriously ill children who are receiving treatment at our local children’s hospital.
RMHC®SCO is independently owned and operates as Kid’s Care Oncology Central West Ontario and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, managed by a small staff team and supported by a full complement of dedicated volunteers.
Together, with the support of our Founding partner, McDonald's Restaurants, and our generous partners and donors, we are able to provide a home away from home where families can find the support they need to navigate their journey.
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At RMHC®SCO, we believe that family is medicine. Every day, we are committed to easing the burdens faced by families with sick children, providing them with a supportive community, a place of comfort, and, most importantly, the opportunity to stay close during their most challenging times.
Our Impact
All of the money we raise goes directly towards providing a home away from home for families of sick or injured children being treated in nearby Hospitals.
2600
Families who stay at Our House each year
150000
Visits at our Ronald McDonal Family Rooms each year
106
Communities we serve across South Central Ontario
50000
Meals served at Our House each year
12276
Nights of Comfort at our House each year
14000
Volunteer hours
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Our Funding Story
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Canada in 1981. In 1982, Ronald McDonald House Charities® Canada was created by McDonald’s ensuring that every future House would have a foundation of support. Since then McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada have been committed partners in helping sick children and their families.
Approximately 30 per cent of annual operating costs come from our Founder and Forever partner, McDonald's Restaurants through initiatives likes the Happy Meal Program, McHappy Day, RMHC cookie sales, and coin boxes.
The remaining 70 per cent of the annual budget is raised through fundraising activities, individual donors, and the contribution of our generous national & corporate partners. We do not receive any government funding.