A Peek Behind the Big Red Doors

Ronald McDonald House Canberra has been giving seriously ill children the best gift of all for 10 years – their families. Our warm and supportive home-away-from-home provides the whole family with a comfortable place to stay and peace of mind, knowing they can stay together in the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
Our aim is to take some of the stress out of being away from home during a long and difficult journey and provide a supportive environment in the company of other families going through similar experiences.
Keeping the family together can be extremely tough without support, which is why we offer accommodation for parents with seriously ill children who need to travel to the Hospital, where we are uniquely situated.
Ronald McDonald House understands that being away from home for long periods of time can put families under financial pressure. That’s why our accommodation is free for eligible families of seriously ill children.
Our House has a wonderful community spirit, where we see families connect with other families,  have time away from the clinical hospital wards, and feel at home.

Family Story

Little baby Zoe was born 7 weeks early, and 75kms away from home. She was then airlifted to Canberra.

It was here that the family of (then) four found a home away from home in Ronald McDonald House Canberra, 2 ½ hours away from their small NSW town.

For 2-weeks over Christmas and New Years the family stayed at the House, allowing Lauren and Chris to be close to not only Little Baby Zoe, but also their eldest child, Toby (then 22 months).

“Being able to stay at RMHC gave us the opportunity to stay so very close and be there for our daughter,” said Lauren, “It allowed us to spend the crucial time with our daughter and not stressing of where we would stay and how we would make it all happen when home was so far away.”

Ronald McDonald House Canberra is a 100-meter walk from your bed to your child. 24-hours a day to provide support to families within the House’s care.

“RMHC was amazing to us. The house, the volunteers and all the people we met whilst staying there really are incredible.”

“You just never know when you or someone close to you will need RMHC,” said Lauren, “I never thought I would need to use RMHC but it can happen unexpectedly. I now always make sure that I give what I can when we come across RMHC fundraisers.”

The family has since welcomed another beautiful boy, Jack (now 4), and little Zoe is starting school this year.

Jellybeanstreet Artwork

With the help of our very generous supporters who donated funds to the House, we were able to purchase beautiful big bright artwork for each room as well as the common areas.
After reading about Jellybean Street Artwork, we choose paintings from children who have support RMHC around the Country.
Jellybean Street specialise in designing big, beautiful art for your home, custom made using the creativity captured by your precious little people. Your child’s vivid imagination becomes a dazzling piece of mounted wall art to hang with pride.
Once you choose your child’s piece of artwork, upload it and send it to Jellybean Street and they will have their graphic artists create a masterpiece which was inspired by your child.
Once you have reviewed the design your artwork will be delivered to your door. Your finished artwork is added to the online Art Gallery and offered for sale to raise funds for your preferred children’s charities.
Have a look at their site for inspiration https://www.jellybeanstreet.com/

Helping Hearts

Thank you to everyone who purchased a Helping Heart from McDonalds' stores across NSW & ACT to support families staying at RMHC.  Please listen to Emily's story that highlights how important RMHC is to these familes and how thankful they are for everyone helping to make such a beautiful difference to their lives.

Rupert and Ruby

Most of our other RMHC Houses around the country have dogs for their House mascot, unfortunately due to Hospital restrictions we cannot. But we have Ruby and Rupert that stay in the House and keep an eye on our families.  We have great delight in putting them in our social posts, they always have us in fits of laughter while trying to move them into position.
They don’t eat much, nor make a mess, so we think they are the perfect mascots for our House.

Let's Dance!

For a seriously sick or injured child, hospital visits and time away from home can make a scary experience even tougher.
That’s why we’re getting our dancing shoes on again! Let’s shimmy away the scares and help provide these kids, and their families, with a home-away-from-home whilst they receive life-saving hospital treatment.
That’s where you come in!
Dance however and wherever you choose every day between May 23-29.
Keep your eye out for more information to come.

We have been very fortunate to have Sue Smith be our House volunteer for just over 6 years now.
Sue comes in every fortnight and enjoys her time with the families.  She is a huge support around the House and teaches new volunteers that join the team.
Sue also supports our functions and is our resident florist.  She loves bringing in flowers to brighten up the House especially on Mother’s Day.

Why do you like volunteering? 

I volunteer to give back to RMHC who supported my nephew and my family at a very challenging time some years ago.

What do you experience on any given shift?

I get to ensure that families have a clean, safe house. I get to interact with family members and help with any requests or questions they have. Sometimes I get to cook for the families.

What reward do you like getting out of volunteering?

I get to feel that in a very small way I am making the families’ day a little easier, safer so they can deal with the challenges they face with their children.

to apply to volunteer