Every chapter of our history reflects the incredible generosity of our community and the resilience of the families we serve.
In 1980, a group of dedicated community members recognized the need for a place where families could stay while their children received medical care. Their vision became a reality on April 10, 1984, when Ronald McDonald House Oklahoma City opened its first Ronald McDonald House at 1301 NE 14th Street, just a few blocks from Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.
The original House featured 10 guest bedrooms with shared community bathrooms. As the need for family-centered care grew, the House expanded to 14 private bedrooms with private bathrooms, allowing us to serve even more families during difficult times.
As pediatric care in Oklahoma continued to grow, so did the need for places where families could find comfort and support.
In 2008, RMHC-OKC opened the Ronald McDonald House Family Room® on the sixth floor of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, providing families with a peaceful place to recharge while still inside of the hospital.
To serve even more families, a second 14-bedroom Ronald McDonald House opened in Garrison Tower in 2015, doubling our overnight capacity to 28 families each night.
In 2018, the original House was sold to make way for a major expansion of the Garrison Tower location. The project increased our capacity to 40 private guest rooms and added enhanced amenities designed to provide comfort, connection, and support for families.
In 2025, construction began on a second Ronald McDonald House located across the Kilpatrick Turnpike from Mercy Hospital.
In September 2026, the new 28-bedroom House opened its doors, allowing us to serve even more families across Oklahoma. Today, our programs continue to grow so that more families can stay together and close to the care their children need.
When Philadelphia Eagles’ player Fred Hill’s daughter Kim was diagnosed with leukemia, he and his wife camped out on hospital chairs and ate food from vending machines. Noticing the many families around them in the same situation, Hill rallied the support of his teammates to raise funds to help other families experiencing the same emotional and financial traumas as his own.
Through the Philadelphia Eagles’ Owner, Leonard Tose, and the General Manager, Jim Murray, the team offered its support to Dr. Audrey Evans, head of the pediatric oncology unit at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It was Dr. Evans’ dream for a house that could serve as a temporary residence for families of children being treated at her hospital.
Together, Ed Rensi, the McDonald’s regional manager and the local owner/operators in Philadelphia helped by donating proceeds from the sale of Shamrock Shakes at local McDonald’s restaurants. The campaign led to the first Ronald McDonald House in 1974 – a seven-bedroom house on Spruce Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Today, there are over 655 Ronald McDonald House programs across 60+ countries and regions.
