Why a new House

Somewhere in British Columbia, right now, a family is struggling to come to terms with the news that their child has a life-threatening illness.

They need to leave for BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. Immediately. They have no place to stay in Vancouver, and can’t afford a hotel. Worse still, they know their child will need intensive treatment, possibly for a year. Or more. This is the heartbreaking reality that thousands of families with seriously ill children have to face every year.

The only hope for some? Ronald McDonald House®, British Columbia—a home-away-from-home for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

The current Ronald McDonald House® BC in Vancouver can accommodate just 13 families at a time. Unfortunately, we have to turn away dozens of families each month.

BC’s seriously ill children need a new home.

We urgently need to build a new Ronald McDonald House® BC in Vancouver to better serve the needs of seriously ill children from BC and the Yukon. But we can’t do it without your help.

We already have the land, big enough to build a new 74,000 square foot house, which will serve the needs of up to 73 families at a time. It’s perfectly located, right on the property of BC Children’s Hospital. So, families can have easy access to treatment. The new House will provide additional capacity and services that will enable families to keep their lives moving forward as normally as possible — despite their medical crisis. Our families are dealing with tremendous stress, a wide range of emotions, and a myriad of complex issues. Their needs reach far beyond finding an affordable place to stay.

Our New House opens in the Spring of 2014 and BC’s families need your help! We still need to raise 6 million dollars to build the last 15 rooms – that’s over 16,000 nights of togetherness for BC and Yukon families each year. Please donate today and help us reach our goal by October 2013.