How it all started.

Back in the 1970s, Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill and his wife Fran took their 3-year-old daughter to the doctor's office. The doctor had the heavy burden of telling them their daughter, Kim, had an advanced form of leukemia.

Like any parents, the Hills were devastated. Fred's teammates wanted to do something to help. Dr. Audrey Evans, head of the pediatric oncology unit at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told the athletes stories about parents, like the Hills, who chose to sleep in waiting rooms to be near their child and the desperate need for a house near the hospital so parents can stay close.

So the Philadelphia Eagles started raising money.

They asked a local McDonald's restaurant to sell green milkshakes for St. Patrick's Day and to donate the proceeds to the house. McDonald's went a step further and offered to give them $25,000 towards the mortgage in exchange for calling it the Ronald McDonald House. Children loved the name, it was agreed upon and the first Ronald McDonald House was opened in 1974 in Philadelphia.

By 1979, ten more Houses had opened. By 1984, McDonald's restaurants and local communities founded 60 more Houses; then 53 more opened by 1989. Today, there are nearly 280 Ronald McDonald Houses in 52 countries around the world.

By the way, Kim is healthy and disease-free today. Her father said she was born for a special purpose.

Today, one can find support and participation from McDonald's Corporation, its franchisees, crew members, suppliers and business partners at every level of the Charity's activity - U.S., International, corporate, regional, and local. Members of the McDonald's Family serve as volunteers on the Boards and committees of the local Chapters, working along side other members of their community. Together they tackle the challenges of operating a public charity - raising necessary funds and awareness and delivering program services to children and their families.

To generate funds for the local Chapters and their programs, franchisees and the Corporation leverage their considerable resources to implement worldwide, national, and local promotions. Collectively, they utilize their restaurants, advertising dollars, packaging, and crew to create customer awareness and support. In-store events involving food promotions result in direct financial contributions from the Corporation, its franchisees, and the general public. These promotions have raised millions and millions of dollars to help the Charity fulfill its mission.

In addition to in-store fundraising efforts, McDonald's franchisees sponsor many of the local events, including golf tournaments and galas held within the community. These events provide critical support, as each local Chapter relies on volunteers and donors for much of the funds and staffing necessary for operations. Local Co-ops, the body of local McDonald's franchisees, use their stores and media partnerships to create greater awareness of the needs of children in their community, and address these needs through their support of Ronald McDonald House Charities and its programs.

McDonald's Corporation supports in part the general and administrative costs of Ronald McDonald House Charities' global office, including free use of facilities, equipment and materials. Their support also helps to defray certain costs that the Charity would otherwise incur to conduct fundraising activities and deliver program services. Corporate offices in countries outside of the United States also support the costs of their national Ronald McDonald House Charities offices.

Additionally, local Chapters can directly access help from McDonald's corporate, division and regional employees, in areas such as, legal, tax, accounting, safety and security, human resources, communications, marketing, and facility construction and maintenance.

The McDonald's Family has always been there, and continues to extend its support and resources to the growing Ronald McDonald House Charities system.