AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced a donation of $100 million to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which includes $4.5 million for Ronald McDonald House of Dallas (RMH Dallas). This donation, the largest single gift in RMHC’s and RMH Dallas’s history, will provide housing and family-centered services for pediatric patients and their families during hospital treatment across the United States. The gift comes as RMH Dallas is in the midst of a capital campaign to fund an $11.5 million expansion that has also received generous support from local donors.
Recognizing the unique needs of families with a hospitalized child, AbbVie’s support will further enable Ronald McDonald House Charities to provide a welcoming place for families to stay along with the critical services they need. The donation will be used to build family-centered spaces and more than 600 new guest sleeping rooms in at least 26 states and at 32 Ronald McDonald Houses. This will allow for approximately 230,000 additional night stays for pediatric patients and their families each year, helping RMHC Chapters to meet increasing demand and serve more families.
“While RMHC serves millions of children and their families each year, we know that we only serve a small percentage of pediatric patients’ families who need our services. This extraordinary gift from AbbVie will move us closer to meeting that unmet need.” said Sheila Musolino, president and CEO, RMHC.
The donation was announced at the Ronald McDonald House Charities International Conference in Chicago, which runs Aug. 19-22. The Conference brings together close to 1,200 attendees from 64 countries and regions.
“Having a child with a serious illness is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can face,” said Laura Schumacher, executive vice president, external affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary, AbbVie. “Our donation is grounded in the shared belief that families should have the necessary resources to care for a hospitalized child, along with the support to strengthen their well-being and resiliency during a challenging time.”
The expansion at RMH Dallas that AbbVie is helping fund will allow 800 more families a year to use the House as a home-away-from-home while their children are being treated for critical illnesses or injuries in the Dallas area. Each year, RMH Dallas hosts 1,400 families, but recently has had to turn away nearly 1,000 families because the House has been at full capacity.
“AbbVie looked closely at the RMHC capital campaigns in progress around the country. After seeing the success of Dallas’ campaign with support from our generous donors, we were selected as a beneficiary of this historic gift.” said Jill Cumnock, CEO of RMH Dallas. “AbbVie’s vision of opening the doors to more guest rooms sooner is coming to fruition as we break ground on The Elsie & Marvin Dekelboum Family Foundation Wing on September 6 of this year, and anticipate opening the new wing in October of 2019.”
Funding from AbbVie will also be used to enhance services that support each family’s journey through care of their child, including meals, groceries, laundry services, parking, playrooms and family-centered spaces.
The donation from AbbVie is part of a larger pledge to nonprofits that help children with serious illnesses and the people who care for them, a reflection of AbbVie’s commitment to helping families across America thrive. This donation is part of AbbVie’s commitment to make an additional $350 million in charitable donations to nonprofit partners in 2018, starting in May with AbbVie’s announcement of $50 million donations each to Habitat for Humanity and Direct Relief for disaster relief in Puerto Rico.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world’s most complex and critical conditions. The company’s mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation that creates, finds, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Through its global network of over 275 Chapters in more than 64 countries and regions, and its three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House, the Ronald McDonald Family Room and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, RMHC helps families with sick children stay together, and close to the medical care their child needs at leading hospitals worldwide. RMHC programs not only provide access to quality health care, they enable family-centered care ensuring families are fully supported and actively involved in their children’s care. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org. Follow @RMHC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Ronald McDonald House of Dallas
Ronald McDonald House of Dallas (RMHD) keeps families together, inspires strength, and gives love and support to families whose children are receiving essential medical care. It is the only organization that provides a welcoming, safe home-away-from-home for families who travel and need a place to stay while their children receive treatment at any Dallas area hospital. For a suggested contribution of $15 per day (with no family turned away for an inability to pay), RMHD serves three meals each day; provides shuttle transportation to and from local hospitals; and offers activities and services to make the stay as comfortable as possible. Families are also able to connect with caring volunteers, other families, and our House dog, Shiloh, the Chief Cheer Officer. To learn more, please visit www.rmhdallas.org.