March 29, 2024

Ronald McDonald House receives $2.3 million gift to kick off capital campaign at Mercy

DES MOINES – Ronald McDonald House Des Moines has received the single largest cash gift in its history, $2.3 million, as part of a $100 million donation from global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) to Ronald McDonald House.

The gift kicks off the house’s “You are the Key to our House” capital campaign. The $4 million campaign will fund a Ronald McDonald House at Mercy Medical Center. Construction is slated to begin January 2019, increasing the nonprofit’s capacity to serve families by 40 percent.

In 2017, Ronald McDonald House – Central Iowa served more than 400 families from across Iowa, 47 percent of which were Mercy patients. The Ronald McDonald House family room currently at Mercy regularly exceeds its capacity, leading many families to be directed to the house 2 miles away, which poses a significant challenge for families needing to stay within close proximity of their child at Mercy.

The new Ronald McDonald House (RMH) will provide nightly accommodations for out of town families as well as providing respite for day guests. The new RMH will feature 14 bedrooms and all the home-like amenities needed to help keep families close.

“We are excited to further expand our services to Mercy by providing a new comforting home, a safe refuge and a community of families supporting each other in difficult times for families with young child patients,” said Mark Hasek, senior vice president at Graham Construction and president of the Ronald McDonald House Des Moines Board.

“It is very important for a child’s family to be able to stay close during medical treatment, and having a RMH within the hospital will allow us to accomplish this goal.” said Dr. Cary Murphy, RMH Des Moines board member and neonatologist at Mercy Children’s Hospital. “During this difficult and stressful time for families, RMH of Central Iowa is committed to providing a place of refuge so that they can direct their focus to what is most important, being at the bedside and taking care of their child.”

Ronald McDonald House charities’ three core programs have more than 275 chapters across 64 countries and regions. They aim to help families with sick children stay together and close to medical facilities while the children receive care.