Ronald McDonald Family Room

About the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Memorial Hospital

Our Beginnings

The first Ronald McDonald Family Room opened in 1992 in Kansas City, Kansas. Today, there are nearly 50 Family Rooms in five countries: the United States, Taiwan, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

In 1999, a group of parents, doctors and McDonald's owners-operators Kathleen and David Sparks met to establish a Ronald McDonald facility in South Bend, Indiana. After much research and careful consideration the group decided to build a Family Room at Memorial Hospital. A partnership was formed between the McDonald's Restaurant, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Memorial Hospital to build and operate the not-for-profit Memorial’s Ronald McDonald Family Room.

What We Offer

The Ronald McDonald Family Room at Memorial is a safe, affordable home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill children. Families draw support from each other, and from the caring volunteers who help them through a truly difficult time in their lives.

In the Ronald McDonald Family Room, families can relax, take a quiet moment and a deep breath in a warm and comfortable environment that the medical world does not enter.

Our Family Room is approximately 2,000 square feet with three sleeping rooms, two baths with showers, a laundry room, a fully equipped kitchen, a library and, of course, a family room.

How We Make a Difference

The Family Room relies on the generosity of the community for monetary donations, goods, services, and for the countless hours of volunteer time. To learn more about how you can help make a difference, please see our “Donations” page.

For more information about the Family Room, call 574-647-3020.