Charities Mission:  Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Four States creates, finds, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children.

Ronald McDonald House of the Four States

House Mission:  Ronald McDonald House of the Four States supports families by providing a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children and ill-expectant mothers being treated at nearby hospitals.

The first Ronald McDonald house opened October 15, 1974. It was the result of perseverance and dedication of the Philadelphia Eagles and Jim Murray, their general manager who rallied around teammate Fred Hill, a linebacker whose three year old daughter, Kim had leukemia. After Kim was treated at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Murray, Hill and his teammates were determined to do something to benefit families of children who were hospitalized. Murray consulted with Kim's physician, Dr. Audrey Evans, leading pediatric oncologist, who expressed a need for a "home-away-from-home" facility near the hospital. Ultimately this led to a joint fundraising effort by the Eagles and Philadelphia-area McDonald's restaurants to purchase and renovate the first House.

Today, there are 312 Ronald McDonald Houses in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.