Ronald McDonald House

Charities of Hawaii (RMHC-HI)

By: Hillary Mei Galiza NURS320
Who they are....
MISSION: To provide a home-away-from-home for seriously ill children and their
families, and to develop other programs and partnerships aimed at improving the lives of
children in Hawaii and the Pacific.
HISTORY: The idea of a home for families of hospitalized children originated in 1973 in
Pennsylvania when Fred Hill, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles football team,
learned that his young daughter, Kim, had Leukemia. Through his and his teams efforts,
and working together with many members of the community and local McDonalds
Restaurants, funds were raised and a House was opened in Philadelphia. The
tremendous value and success of this first House sparked interest throughout the entire
country and abroad, and the McDonalds Corporation continued to be a major sponsor,
helping support both the construction of new Houses and their ongoing expenses.
-RMHC-HIs first house opened in 1967.
-Relationship to McDonalds Hawaii - RMHC is a private non-profit organization and
continues to fundraise in the community to support their own efforts. It is the
communitys charity, not a corporate foundation, although it is fully supported by
McDonalds.
Who they serve...
-Families that are required to travel to Oahu for a childs needed
medical treatments. Patients are usually from neighboring
islands, Guam, and other Pacific Rim locations.
-RMHC-HI also accepts high-risk pregnancy moms from the
neighbor islands
-All guest families are referred to RMHC-HI by medical
practitioners, social workers or insurance companies
Two houses on Oahu...
Judd Hillside House - 1970 Judd
Hillside Road Hon., HI 96822
- Families with children receiving outpatient treatments or
those traveling with siblings of the patient. It has served
thousands of families since opening in 1987.
-$20 a night - Coverage offered by some insurance
agencies
-10 bedrooms with a sink in each, bathrooms, living rooms,
full service kitchen, full service laundry room, childrens
playroom, outdoor patio/play area
Two houses on Oahu...
Oahu Avenue House - 2868 Oahu
Avenue Hon., HI 96822
- Family members of children receiving in-patient care
and for neighbor island women experiencing high-risk
pregnancies. It began serving families in 2006.
-$20 a night - Coverage offered by some insurance
agencies
-7 bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, full service
kitchen, dining room, laundry area, outdoor garden
RMH Family Room
-2nd floor of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children; Opened in 2003 - Run by
volunteers
-Who can use it? -Immediate family members of children in the NICU and PICU. Patients
are allowed in the room provided they are mobile and will not need any medical treatment or
nursing services while visiting.
-What they offer - Small kitchen with refreshments, telephone, internet computer station,
living room, toys, books, videos, Teen/Privacy Room
-Open 9am-9pm daily, including holidays - FREE services
-Shuttle services -
9:30am - drop of to Kapiolani Medical Center
8:30am - pick up at Kapiolani Medical Center
RMH Family Room
What you can do to help...
-Donate: Credit/debit card or paypal via website, or directly drop items
off to house
-Volunteer: Family room, office, green thumb, cook, etc.
-Other ways:
-Use McFun-Raiser coupon books for your school or organization's
Fundraising campaign
-Put spare change in the RMHCHI canisters, located near the cash
registers inside all McDonald Restaurants and most drive-thru windows
-Buy the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Maui News, West Hawaii Today,
Hawaii Tribune Herald, Garden Island and Guam's Pacific Daily News at
participating McDonalds restaurants
References
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii (2012). Retrieved
from: http://www.ronaldhousehawaii.org/index.php
Sherman, H. Personal interview. October 03, 2013.