1. What is Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest?
The Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities is the cornerstone program of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest.

Since 1979, the Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities has been a home-away-from-home for families living farther than sixty miles from the Twin Cities who have children with cancer or another life threatening illness who must travel to area hospitals for urgently needed medical care. Our purpose is to support and strengthen families during this critical time in their lives by providing lodging, emotional support and educational resources. Currently, we can provide housing for 48 families each night.

The average length of stay for bone marrow or solid organ transplants is 120 days. All other families average 54 nights.

Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest also provides outreach programs for those beyond our doors, including:

• Ronald McDonald Care Mobile ® - a mobile dental unit that provides dental care for low-income youth in the 13-county metropolitan area
• Faith’s Lodge – a northwoods lodge where parents and families facing serious illness or death of a child can retreat to reflect on the past, renew strength for the present and build hope for the future

2. Where is the House?
The Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities is situated on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota, with entrances on Oak and Fulton Streets in Minneapolis.  We are also just two blocks from University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital

RMHC-UM will be launching a second location at the end of 2010 called “House inside the Hospital.”  The House inside the Hospital expansion will include 16 bedrooms and a hospitality center for families with children receiving treatment at Children’s of Minnesota.

3. What services does the Ronald McDonald House provide?
The 76,000 square foot House includes 48 bedrooms to accommodate families with various lengths of treatment.

We offer a variety of services:

• House managers available 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day
• Three kitchen stations, a stocked food pantry and a community kitchen for groups to use when preparing nightly meals
• A one-room schoolhouse for patients and siblings to continue their studies. The school has a full-time licensed teacher, a part-time teacher’s aide and is supported by regular weekly volunteers
• A resource room with a library and eight computers allowing parents to work remotely
• A movie theater with movies shown twice a week 
• 24-hour laundry facilities
• Numerous family activities such as BINGO, arts & crafts and a bouncy house
• Two children’s indoor play areas and two outdoor play areas – both fenced in, offering parents an opportunity to relax while their children play 
• A 24-hour workout facility 
• Two game rooms with arcade games, a pool table, foosball and bubble hockey
• A 1⁄2 court gymnasium
• An after-school program for kids that includes cooking, crafts, games, music, art and pet therapy
• A scrapbooking room for families to make new memories
• A large patio area for families to barbecue or enjoy the summer weather
• Bedding, towels and all paper products are provided. Toiletries are also available
• Transportation to Target is provided twice a week
• Extensive video and new release DVD library

4. Who stays at the House?
Families who live farther than sixty miles from the Twin Cities, who have a child, 19 or under with cancer or another life threatening illness and are being treated by area hospitals, are eligible to stay at the House. Families are referred to the House by their hospital social worker. In 2008, 384 individual families made 429 visits to the Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities, totally 22,857 nights of lodging.

5. Is there a fee for the families who stay at the House?
Families are asked to pay $25.00 per night, but no family is turned away due to an inability to pay. Families can choose to pay weekly, monthly or at the end of their stay. It costs $135 per night to provide the warmth, security and community our families need.

6. How is Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest funded?
Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest is funded by our local community through contributions and gifts in-kind.

7. How can I become involved with the House?
Volunteers are the “heartbeat of the House.”  We welcome the participation of volunteers on many levels.  Examples of volunteers include meal groups, house warmers, school assistants, gardeners and administrative helpers.   

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Carynn Roehrick or call 612-767-2788.

You can also become involved by helping stock our pantry.  Here is our wish list.