Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley Fargo, North Dakota

At Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley, we owe our continued success to the tireless efforts of volunteers and the countless contributions from our donors.  Because of you, we are able to help improve the lives of children and families across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota for the past 25+ years..

Here are some historic milestones that you made possible:

In 1977, Wayne Allard, then a medical social worker, and the mother of a child with leukemia talked about the possibility of establishing a facility for families of children receiving medical care.  The mother had been sleeping on the floor of her child's hospital room night after night as she could not afford a hotel.  She was also feeling the added stress of being away from her family back home.  During this time, the mother read about the Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia.

The dream of opening a Ronald McDonald House in the Fargo-Moorhead area became a labor of love.  In June 1981, a non-profit corporation was chartered and a volunteer board of directors, with community members dedicated to children and families was formed.  This non-profit corporation set out to raise funds that would establish and maintain a Ronald McDonald House in Fargo.  Community members committed to the RMH mission continue to share their time and support for our program.

In July 1982, a house was purchased which would become the future home of the Ronald McDonald House of the Red River Valley, Inc.®  Work began immediately to remodel the two-story house into a beautiful, cozy and warm facility with six private guest bedrooms; a large, fully stocked kitchen; laundry facility; playroom; deck and playground area and other common areas as well as an office and separate living space for the resident managers.  Our RMH is modeled after the first Ronald McDonald House, which opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1974.

On December 17, 1982, after five years of planning, organizing and fundraising, the first Ronald McDonald House in North Dakota opened its doors at 1234 Broadway in north Fargo to families whose children were receiving treatment at any medical facility in Fargo, North Dakota-Moorhead, Minnesota.  RMH is a haven to thousands of families from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and from across the nation.

Because of the great number of families who use the RMH, a second Ronald McDonald House opened at 1330 18th Avenue South in Fargo, North Dakota on May 18, 2005. After a futile two-year search of both pre-existing buildings and vacant lots, Dakota Medical Foundation, a regional foundation, owned a building that for almost 20 years had served as housing for families of any patient, regardless of age. The "Family House" had closed during our two-year property search and the building was vacant. Through a series of conversations, meetings and grant proposals, the foundation awarded the building and $50,000 to begin renovation immediately. In addition, Dakota Medical Foundation offered a generous $200,000 match grant which would become $400,000, dedicated to the refurbishing of the original "Family House" into the second Ronald McDonald House of the Red River Valley, Inc.

The Ronald McDonald Houses become a “home away from home” for many families as they struggle with their children's medical needs.  Families have a safe place to sleep, relax, take a needed break from being at the medical facility and share their experiences and anxieties with other families in similar situations.  Families who stay at the RMH have children needing any type of inpatient or outpatient care at any medical facility in the Fargo-Moorhead area.  The families are asked to pay $15 for each night of their stay, if financially able to do so.   However, no family is turned away because of inability to pay.

The Ronald McDonald House operates 100% on donations (monetary or in-kind) from individuals, church and civic organizations, local and area businesses, national corporations and others.  It is because of the generosity of others that we are able to provide a place of rest and comfort for families.