45 Years Later, the Mission Continues

Logan was a month old before he was able to go home for the first time. Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, he needed heart surgery within the first 24 hours of his life.

First time parents, Danielle and Sean, found great comfort at the Ronald McDonald House while their son recovered from surgery.

“The Ronald McDonald House was so much more than a bed to sleep in. We did not have to worry about the cost, and we could grab a quick meal. Anything we needed, the staff was there to help,” said Danielle. “This gave us peace of mind and we could focus on Logan.”

When Logan was five months old, he needed a second surgery. And once again, his parents found the comfort they needed at the Ronald McDonald House. Though only anticipating being there a week, due to complications, they were at the House for over a month.

The comfort that Danielle and Sean found while their son was in the hospital was exactly what the founders of the Charity had intended for parents to have during trying times in their lives.

Founded on the belief that families should be together when their child is sick and far from home, a small group of determined individuals including a pediatric hematologist/oncologist from Children’s Hospital, leaders within McDonald’s, the Pittsburgh Steelers organization and parents from a support group, worked tirelessly to establish the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh.

Just five years after the first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia, Ronald McDonald House Pittsburgh became the seventh House, opening its doors on July 10, 1979. Today, there are 390 Houses around the world.

The determination and vision of this group to bring this project to fruition never wavered. They planned, they renovated room by room and they even operated the House in its early years. They knew the impact it would have on families’ lives--families like Logan’s who continue to find comfort at a House first imagined 45 years ago.

Growing from those first days of 10 rooms, the Charity now provides 90 units and has served thousands of families. In 2018, Ronald McDonald House Pittsburgh and Ronald McDonald House Morgantown merged, creating Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown; two Houses with one mission. Expanding again, the Morgantown House is currently under construction to add 11 additional rooms.

On July 10th, 2024, RMHC Pittsburgh and Morgantown celebrated its 45th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, Pittsburgh Mayor Edward Gainey's Office and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato proclaimed the date as Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown Day. These proclamations celebrate the Charity's past, honors its present and inspires its future.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown