In the early 1970s, Dr. Audrey Evans, Chief of Pediatric Oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, noticed an issue medicine alone could not solve. While children received lifesaving treatment, their families spent night after night sleeping in waiting rooms, hallways and even in their cars.
She believed truly caring for a child meant caring for their family.
Around the same time, Philadelphia Eagles player Fred Hill and his wife, Fran, were navigating their own unimaginable journey after their daughter, Kim, was diagnosed with leukemia.
“When Kim was diagnosed with leukemia, we were shattered. We had no family on the East Coast. We were really lonely, sad and scared. We never dreamed of having a child with a life-threatening illness. We were just not prepared for it.”
Fred shared his family’s story with the Philadelphia Eagles organization, whose players, leadership and community immediately stepped forward to help.
Soon after, McDonald’s joined the effort through a Shamrock Shake fundraiser, becoming what is now known as the founding and forever partner of Ronald McDonald House.
Together, one doctor, one family, one football team, one restaurant and one caring community turned an extraordinary idea into reality.
On October 15, 1974, the world’s first Ronald McDonald House opened its doors in Philadelphia.
What began as a seven-bedroom house has grown into a global movement. Together, hundreds of independently operated local nonprofit chapters serve millions of families around the world. Each remains grounded in the simple belief that caring for a child also means caring for the family.
On April 12, 2006, Ronald McDonald House Missoula welcomed its first guests after a group of dedicated physicians and passionate community volunteers first approached Community Medical Center about building a Ronald McDonald House on its campus in 1999. It took several years of tireless work to secure approvals, design the House and raise funds to turn their vision into reality.
Ronald McDonald House Missoula is a proud member of a global network of hundreds of Houses around the world united by a shared commitment to caring for families with children receiving life-saving medical care.
While we share global standards and best practices, every Ronald McDonald House chapter is independently operated to meet the unique needs of its local community.
Originally, Ronald McDonald House Missoula operated as part of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Montana, with chapters in both Billings and Missoula under a statewide Board of Directors.
In 2015, Ronald McDonald House Missoula became an independent nonprofit organization with its own local Board of Directors, enabling us to better serve families throughout western Montana.
As the need for our services continued to grow, so did our House.
By 2017, we were turning away dozens of families each year simply because there was not enough room.
Determined to change that, our Board of Directors launched a capital campaign to expand the House from eight guest rooms to 16.
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community, more than $3.1 million was raised to double our capacity and renovate the House.
The expansion was completed in 2019, providing hundreds more families each year with support.
At Ronald McDonald House Missoula, we provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need healthcare.
Dr. Audrey Evans believed that when a child is seriously ill, the entire family needs support.
That belief continues to guide everything we do, from providing welcoming accommodations and home cooked meals to family support services and a caring community that helps families stay together while their child receives medical treatment.
By caring for the everyday needs of families, we give them one less thing to worry about, so they can focus on what matters most: their child.
Montana is one of the largest and most rural states in the nation. When a child needs specialized medical care, families often travel hundreds of miles to Missoula, leaving behind their homes, jobs, schools and support systems.
Ronald McDonald House Missoula exists so families never have to make that journey alone.
Located on the campus of Community Medical Center, home to western Montana’s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the House serves families whose children are receiving specialized medical care from providers throughout the region.
Today, approximately 60% of the families we serve are experiencing a high risk pregnancy, premature birth or a NICU stay. Others come seeking pediatric specialty care, surgery, oncology treatment, rehabilitation and other critical medical services.
No matter where a family calls home or why they come to Missoula, they are welcomed with open doors, a warm meal and a community that cares.
We trust the medical team to care for the child. It is our honor to care for the rest of the family.
