Ronald McDonald House
When professional football player Fred Hill’s three-year-old daughter Kim was diagnosed with leukemia, the Hill family slept in waiting rooms and ate from hospital vending machines during her treatment. As a result, the Hills decided to create a place for families to receive the physical and emotional support they needed to care for sick children- without the high cost of hotel rooms. Fred consulted with Dr. Audrey Evans, the head of pediatric oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After that, he rallied support from Leonard Tose, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jim Murray, the Eagles’ general manager, and Ed Rensi, the McDonald’s regional manager, to open the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia, PA, in 1974.
Almost fifty years later, there are over 380 Ronald McDonald Houses in 45 countries and regions: providing over 10,000 bedrooms for families and supporting over 3 million families yearly.
Our History
Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Piedmont Triad (RMHCPT) was founded by a group of parents whose children were receiving or had received cancer treatments at Brenner Children’s Hospital. Dick and Penny Latham, who moved to Winston-Salem while their son Alan received cancer treatments, led the effort. When Alan passed away in 1980 at three years old, Dick and Penny asked his physician, Dr. Richard Patterson, how they could help other families and honor Alan. Our House was born out of the conversations that followed.
1980s
- Latham family founded RMHCPT, formerly Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem, in memory of their son Alan
- Doors opened on September 14, 1984
- 10-bedroom “home away from home” for families whose children needed medical care in Winston-Salem
- Friends of the RMH formed to provide volunteer support, community engagement, and fundraising
- Events such as Ronald’s Rainbow Revue follies and Light a Luminary were established to raise funds for the House
1990s
- RMHCPT celebrated 10th Birthday
- Property next door purchased and renovated to expand to 17 bedrooms
- Family Support Services (FSS) program founded to address the non-medical needs of guest families
2000s
- Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at Brenner Children’s Hospital and Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center opened to provide a place of respite and rejuvenation for families with children in the hospital
- Teens with Heart summer volunteer program established
- Sport a Shirt, Share a Night annual fundraiser launched
2010s
- Grand opening of the “House that Love Built” featuring 35 bedrooms
- Annual Character Breakfast fundraiser established
- Daily shuttle service to and from Forsyth Medical Center began with the gift of our Ronald Car
- Aunt Pauline’s Pushcart rolled out to serve moms on the antepartum unit at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and throughout Randolph Hospital
2020s
- Grand opening of the Kohfeldt Family Playground – a fully accessible and inclusive playground, and our Community Meditation Garden
- Aunt Pauline’s Pushcart rolled out at Brenner Children’s Hospital
- Our name changed from the Ronald McDonald House® of Winston-Salem, Inc. to Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Piedmont Triad, Inc. – click here for more information
- Ronald McDonald Family Room® at Cone Health Women’s & Children’s Center at Moses Cone Hospital opened
- Ronald McDonald House expands to 36 bedrooms with the opening of a long-term stay area
