Ronald McDonald House history
	After learning their 3 year old daughter Kim had leukemia, Eagles tight end Fred Hill and his wife vowed to remain by her side at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Sleep-deprived and nourished only by vending machines, they met others despairing in waiting rooms, parents far from home. Hill's NFL teammates rallied and with the support of local McDonald's owners, the dream of pediatric oncologist Dr. Audrey Evans for a home-away-from-home for these families came true. Today, more than ten million families have been guests at over 250 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide. And it all began in Philadelphia when the very first House opened October 15, 1974.
Ronald McDonald House history in northern Colorado 1979 - 2001 April 2001 - today March 2008 - today
Within 5 years Colorado had its first Ronald McDonald House, too. A 1911 mansion just east of downtown Denver at the corner of 16th and Ogden became a welcome sanctuary for over 17,000 families over the next two decades. But despite its 11,000 square feet with 15 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and 2 kitchens and commons area, families had to be turned away many nights because the house was full. In 1999 the Board of Directors decided to build a modern and much larger house next to Children's Hospital of Denver to meet the overwhelming demand for economical lodging.   A $7 million construction campaign kicked off with ground breaking ceremonies on October 8, 1999. The new 35,000 square foot house opened on April 21, 2001 with more than double the occupancy capacity of the old house. Its floorplan features 31 bedrooms with private bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 5 TV lounges and dens, play areas and staff and volunteer offices. The House meets all ADA standards.   With our metropolitan area's growing prominence in the field of medicine and moves by The Children's Hospital and the University of Colorado Hospital to the new Fitzsimons Medical Campus in Aurora, the RMHCD Board acted decisively to build yet another, even larger house to meet future needs. Groundbreaking for the Aurora Ronald McDonald House was held on October 19, 2006, at a site just west of I-225 between Colfax and Sixth Avenue. In March 2008, the 76,000 square foot facility opened with the capacity to house 45 families a night. It sports 3 large kitchens, two laundry facilities, TV lounges, play areas indoors and out, computer rooms and a patio area.
©2008 Ronald McDonald House Charities of Denver, Inc. Denver Ronald McDonald House 1300 East 21st Avenue Denver, CO 80205 USA telephone 303-832-2667 fax 303-832-3802 email ronaldhousepw@earthlink.net   Aurora Ronald McDonald House 932 Potomac Circle Aurora, CO 80011 USA telephone 720-324-2400 fax 720-324-2424 web sights by TransVision