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About Us
Keeping Families Close®
On May 5, 1985, the first Ronald McDonald House opened in San Antonio and expanded to a 20 family home in 1991. On May 4, 1998, we became the sixth city in the United States to open the doors to a second 20 family home. On January 10, 2002, our third House was opened with accommodation for 10 families and as part of an expansion and renovation, we re-opened his house in 2016 to a 16 bedroom home located on the 4th floor of Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. This home is the first worldwide to be located within a hospital.
Why is it needed?
Often a child with a diagnosed disease lives far from the hospital. This creates an especially stressful situation for parents, as they must cope not only with a seriously ill child, but also with the burden of being away from home for days, weeks, and sometimes months.
Before the Ronald McDonald House, the only lodging alternatives were lonely and expensive hotel rooms, or hospital cots. Finding themselves in a strange city, away from the crucial support of friends and relatives, many parents found this to be a desperately unhappy experience– at a time when their child most needed their strength, and encouragement.
The Ronald McDonald House is a home for these families. The House gives them a place where they can break away from the hospital, yet be available at a moment’s notice. Just as important, it is a place where parents can meet and talk with other families who are experiencing some of the same fears and concerns and establish a mutual support system so critically needed at this time.
Leadership
Our Staff
Travis Pearson
Chief Executive Officer
Travis is an experienced CEO and LPC with a history of leading organizations to innovate and thrive. He brings 25 years’ experience in the For-Profit, Non-Profit & Social Enterprise sectors in areas such as; disaster services, military PTS, homelessness, mental illness, trauma, adoptions, foster care, and child abuse. He has been appointed and served on numerous Boards at the city and state levels focusing on family services, child welfare, veteran issues, and homelessness.
Liz Medina
Director of Operations
Liz joined the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Antonio team in 1997. She is a dedicated leader and is a cornerstone to the organization’s long history of success. For the past 23 years, she has led the way in supporting families going through the most challenging time in their lives. Those she serves also inspire her to cherish every moment. Her role in the charity’s growth accomplishments includes opening three new Houses in the San Antonio area and 2 RMHC Family Rooms in Laredo, Texas.
McDonald’s Relationships
Donations
Partnerships
Volunteers
Ways to Help from Home
Make toiletry kits — using a ziplock bag, create a toiletry kit for our families to use for an overnight stay. Kits should include travel sized items; a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand sanitizer and facial tissue.
Sew wearable masks — do you have fabric scraps laying around? Put them to good use to make masks for kids and adults. Make sure to machine wash and dry items before donating!
Crochet or sew hats for NICU babies — these adorable beanies are perfect for our tiny friends!
Host a gift card drive — collect gift cards to grocery stores, WalMart, Target, Amazon and more for us to distribute to our families in times of need or to purchase meals and cleaning supplies for our House.
Our Stories
Everett Smith & Parents
I am writing to share our family’s deepest appreciation for the Ronald McDonald House. At 28 weeks pregnant, I discovered troubles with the pregnancy. At 3 months, our son needed brain surgery. Our neurosurgeon referred us to the Ronald McDonald House, a blessing for our family. The RMH welcomed us for the duration of our stay. Being surrounded by loving, caring people that understand what it is you are going through helps you tremendously. We were able to give full attention and care to our son while the support of the house took care of us and our needs. We cried a lot at the RM House, but many of our tears were from the acts of kindness of the staff and volunteers.
