Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House

The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House was the first of the Ronald McDonald House Charities and now stands at 39th and Chestnut Streets in West Philadelphia. [ [http://www.philarmh.org/ Welcome to the First House that Love Built! | Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House ] ]

History

The house opened in 1974 with the help of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill, manager Jim Murray and owner Leonard Tose. In 1971, while Hill's daughter was being treated for leukemia at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, he saw other families living in the waiting rooms because they could not afford hotel rooms, and decided to help create a home where families could stay nearby. McDonald's donated money from the firm's Shamrock Shake promotion. [ [http://www.mcdonalds.com/rmhc/index/programs/ronald_mcdonald_house/history.html Ronald McDonald House Program: History ] ] The original house was located at 4032 Spruce St. with room for seven families. The house at 3925 Chestnut street opened in 1981 with 19 bedrooms. [Philadelphia Inquirer, May 13, 1981 "Moving up new home for kin of the seriously ill"] This was increased in 1996 to a total capacity of 43 rooms through an expansion largely funded by U.S. Healthcare. [Philadelphia Inquirer May 18, 1996 "McDonald's House Savors Expansion"]

The Building

The Victorian-era Romanesque mansion was built in 1893 for William James Swain, the son of Philadelphia Public Ledger editor and publisher William Mosely Swain [Baltzell, Edward Digby. "Philadelphia Gentlemen: The Making of a National Upper Class," Free Press, Glencoe, Ill., 1958.] by architect Will Decker. [ [http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/phmc_display.cfm?KeyNo=053291 PHMC Cultural Resources Database ] ] . Swain died in in 1903 [NY Times June 18, 1903 "Death of William J. Swain", http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990CEEDB1339E333A2575BC1A9609C946297D6CF] In 1926, the house was sold to the Andrew Bair Funeral Home [Skaler, Robert Morris. West Philadelphia: University City to 52nd Street"'. Acradia Publishing, 2002.] , who sold it decades later to the Ronald McDonald House.

Mission

The Ronald McDonald House provides a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

tructure of the house

The Ronald McDonald House is run by a core group of full time paid employees along with a large rotating staff of volunteers. They provide accommodations for immediate families of those receiving treatment and outpatient patients mostly from Children's Hospital, Temple University Hospital , Will's Eye Hospital, and Shriner's Hospital. Stays in the house range from one night to more than a year.

External links

*http://www.philarmh.org/

References