25 years at Park Avenue

25 YEARS ON PARK AVENUE

The Park Avenue Ronald McDonald House has provided a homeaway-from-home for families since 1996.

One of the worst things that can happen to a parent or guardian is to learn that their child is sick and needs to be hospitalized. Suddenly, life stops overnight, and the world is full of worry and fear.

For many families, there is an added stress: distance. Sometimes the best medical care available is hundreds of miles from home – or more. Also, families face the financial demands of mounting medical bills, job insecurity, and a healing journey that can take months or years.

This is why the Ronald McDonald House exists: to keep families close to their seriously ill children and help alleviate the isolation and stress they may feel. The Park Avenue Ronald McDonald House has been providing this support for 25 years.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis opened its second House on Park Avenue on April 14, 1996, primarily serving families whose children were being treated at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The 11-bedroom house has offered a respite to thousands of families throughout the years.

“I can’t begin to explain the comfort and relief we felt when we got the call that a room was available for us at the Park Avenue Ronald McDonald House,” says Shawna Jones. “I remember the very first night, after settling in, we came down to the kitchen to explore. There was spaghetti, salad, bread, and the sweetest group who served us. As I sat down to my first hot meal in a month (that was not take-out or hospital food), I cried. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. Tears of sadness for what we were going through. But mostly tears of gratitude.”

Like many parents at RMHC, Shawna’s son was born premature and quickly taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to grow until he was ready to go home.

“I was able to be with him every single day from the moment I woke up until the evening when I came back to our temporary home for two months,” Shawna explains. “Without RMHC, we never would have had that opportunity since we live two hours away from St. Louis.”

As we look back on the past 25 years of serving families when they need it most, we are incredibly grateful for the continued support from countless volunteers and donors who keep our House feeling like home. ■