Ronald McDonald House Central Texas

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Central Texas is to provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare.

At Ronald McDonald House Central Texas we create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families. We provide a home away from home for families with hospitalized children and is the only organization providing free temporary housing for these families. These vital, essential front-line services for families navigating the pediatric healthcare system. We work to ensure all families have equitable access to care with a free place to stay, meals, and support, so they can focus on their child’s medical treatment. The work of Ronald McDonald House is a vital part of the pediatric healthcare system in Central Texas, working so that no family faces a pediatric medical crisis alone.

Ronald McDonald House Central Texas programming in the Brazos Valley includes Family Rooms in two hospitals, Heart Carts in three hospitals, and Healing Hearts throughout the Brazos Valley.

The two Ronald McDonald House CTX Family Rooms in Bryan-College Station provide a comforting sanctuary that keeps families near their critically ill or injured children. Each Family Room offers a place for families to sleep, eat, and rejuvenate just steps from their hospitalized child, and includes a living room, kitchen/dining area, bedrooms, showers, laundry, internet, and snacks/beverages. Ronald McDonald House CTX Family Rooms include private sleeping rooms as well as a community area for day-use visitors. Families have a place to rest while their child remains in critical condition, and families need to be on-site to participate in urgent medical decisions.

To serve families that are at the patient’s bedside, the Heart Carts (hospitality carts) stroll the hospital hallways bringing complimentary items to families waiting by their child's hospital bedsides. Comfort items such as snacks, toiletries, blankets, and toys are distributed daily.

Ronald McDonald House CTX also supports families who have lost a child through the Healing Hearts program, which provides financial assistance for burial services and bereavement support. When a family loses a child, whether they are staying in our Ronald McDonald Family Room or not, we support them through our Healing Hearts program. Families in need of financial support receive burial or cremation assistance funds, and an engraved memorial river rock to place in our memory garden and access to free bereavement support.

In Bryan/College Station we serve local families from all seven counties across the Brazos Valley. All Ronald McDonald House CTX programs in the Brazos Valley operate year-round to ensure that we are there when families need support.

Through the caring support of our community, we are able to carry out the mission of Ronald McDonald House CTX. These comprehensive wraparound services, available to families at every stage of a medical crisis, are what make Ronald McDonald House CTX such a vital and essential resource in our community. Regardless of where a family is on their pediatric healthcare journey, Ronald McDonald House CTX offers free support, allowing them to focus on their child. We rely on community support to keep all the services and programs free for families.

Testimonials

"Dear RMHC: Our adventure started on April 30th. I am so grateful you were here for me and my husband. You provided a lovely space for my husband while he was splitting time between our son in the NICU and myself in CCU. Then, you were here for me after I got out of the hospital while our son was still here, so that I could be here to help him grow. My son's relatively short stay in the NICU is due in part to my being able to stay by his side through most of his time. After 21 days in the NICU…it looks like we're finally going home today. Thank you so much for the comfortable space and friendly volunteers who made this difficult experience just a little easier!"