The Westside branch will provide support and housing for families with seriously ill children receiving medical treatment
By Keemia Zhang
A new Ronald McDonald House is slated to open at 927 Hilgard Ave, near the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. The Ronald McDonald House Westside will join a second Los Angeles location, located near Cedars-Sinai.
Headquartered in Illinois, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), create and support housing services, often as comprehensive houses or in-hospital rooms, for parents whose children receive intense medical treatment for serious diseases – including cancer – across the nation. The houses give families the chance to “a chance to sleep, shower, and connect with other families”, according to their website.
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who met with Ronald McDonald House on March 9th, extended her endorsement of the effort, saying she was “so excited” for the charity’s efforts to “fill this critical need, and improve the lives of patients at our incredible local hospitals.”
Ronald Mcdonald House Wetside ll be among seven other Houses across Southern California as the largest RMHC Chapter in the world, with other locations in Bakersfield, Long Beach, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and Pasadena. The Westside branch will be run by Executive Director Kelly Herman, a Westside local with an extensive philanthropic background.
RMHC’s residences are complimentary and come with provided meals, medical supervision, and emotional support services. The charity states that it serves over 10,000 families per year. “These are parents helping their children through cancer treatments and other life-threatening illnesses,” remarked Yaroslavsky. “The last thing they should have to worry about is how they’ll afford to stay close to their child or to the hospital.”
The Ronald McDonald House Westside will host the ‘Los Angeles Walk for Kids’ at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, April 29, starting at 8:45 a.m. Readers can sign up, donate, or become a sponsor on their website, and find updates for the organization on their Instagram page.
