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#SupportDENonprofits: The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware

Posted: by DANA

The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware provides a temporary residence for families of seriously ill or injured children receiving treatment at area hospitals. In addition to providing a place to stay, the House offers nurturing and supportive environments where families can be together and find comfort.

Many families travel far from home and spend several weeks or months to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children – a long time to be away or to divide a family. And, for children facing a serious medical crisis, nothing seems scarier than not having mom and dad close by for love and support.

Families are stronger when they are together. By staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, parents can better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed. They can also focus on the health of their child, rather than grocery shopping, cleaning, or cooking meals.

We serve families from all over the country, and all over the world, but the majority of the families who stay with us come from Delaware.  In 2017, 34% of families were from Delaware.  Most of those families live in Sussex County and face a long drive to their child’s doctors in Wilmington. Being able to stay just across the street from their child’s care eliminates the stresses of travel time and cost of transportation.

The Ronald McDonald House of Delaware opened June 7, 1991.  Since then, we have served over 46,000 families with sick children. Families staying at our 50 guest room House are asked to contribute $15 per night. While it costs us $72 a night to provide a family a room, and the average contribution is $3.76 per night, no family is turned away regardless of their ability to contribute. Learn more about the Ronald McDonald House.

DANA Members: Want to share your story of impact during Nonprofit Impact Month? Send us your story (300 words or less, or short video) to our Sector Advancement Intern, Mikia Guy at [email protected]. Or post your story online using #SupportDENonprofits and/or #NonprofitImpactMonth.