Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley, Inc. ® celebrates 25 years of providing lodging and emotional support to parents and siblings of children requiring medical treatment; who also benefit by knowing their families are close by.

Description:
For many families traveling long distances to Fargo for their children's specialized medical care, the House eliminates costly hotel bills and provides a secure, home-like place to stay - a place where additional strength and stability is received from other families in similar situations.

Ronald McDonald House Charities also reaches out through grants to fund the needs of children and families through charitable organizations and governmental agencies in our communities.

History:
December 1982 marked the end of five years of planning, organization and labor. That was when the first Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ® in North Dakota opened its doors to families of children needing medical care. The House was modeled after the national concept of temporary housing for parents started with the original Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ®. It offers families a place to sleep, prepare meals, relax, and share their experiences and anxieties with others that are in similar situations.

Interest in a local House began in 1977 when Wayne Allard, a pediatric social worker at a local Children's Hospital, along with the mother of a child with leukemia talked about the possibility of establishing a facility for families of children receiving medical care. The idea grew and developed into a Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ® project. In June 1981, a non-profit corporation was chartered to raise funds to establish and maintain a Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ® for families in need. The non-profit corporation's Board of Directors is composed of volunteers from all areas of the community.

In July 1982, the non-profit corporation purchased a house for the future home of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ®. Work began immediately to remodel the two-story house into a beautiful facility that contains six guest bedrooms, a large, fully stocked kitchen, laundry room, and other common areas as well as an office and separate living quarters for the resident managers.

The guests of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ® are families with children needing medical care at any medical facility in the Fargo-Moorhead community. We serve families from ND, SD, MN, and beyond. Families are asked to pay $15.00 per night. This fee is waived if the family is unable to pay; and no family is ever turned away because of an inability to pay.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ® has become "The House That Love Built ®" for many families as they struggle with anxieties and concerns for their children who are receiving medical care. For families far from their own homes and support of their families and friends, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley ® has become a "home away from home."
**Exciting News: In 2007, we celebrate a special anniversary, 25 years of welcoming families to 'The Houses That Love Built'. In May 2005 we opened a second location in south Fargo, which enables us to help even more families.**

Contact person: Ruth Hagel, House / Volunteer Manager, (701) 232-3980 Ext. 302, (email)
Office fax number: (701) 364-1954

Address:

1330 18th Ave. S. Fargo, ND 58103 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.rmhcfargo.org

Directions:

South house is located on the corner of 18th Ave. S. and 14th St. 2 blocks west of University and 18th Ave. intersection.