About Us

Ronald McDonald House San Diego provides a  “home away from home” for families with
children being treated for serious, often life-threatening conditions at local hospitals.

Helping Families Care for Their Child

We provide a welcoming and convenient home for families because:

Studies have shown that children heal faster when families are near, and parents and healthy siblings can manage challenges better when residing together.

Hospitals require an adult to be present for treatments, so our House helps to make long-term and advanced treatments for children possible.

We can all feel assured that we have a safety net to fall back on if our children become seriously ill.

Volunteers and donors may deepen their engagement in civic life and contribute to a stronger San Diego by supporting our House.

Our Impact

We rely on community support to provide comfort and care for families with children receiving treatment at San Diego hospitals.

Thanks to dedicated volunteers and generous supporters, each year approximately:

600 families stay with us during their child’s hospitalization
14,000 individuals visit our Ron & Alexis Fowler Family Care Center for meals, showers, naps, and other resources
100,000+ freshly prepared meals are served free of charge to family members, with the assistance of more than 380 volunteer groups
100 siblings of hospitalized children participate in education and enrichment programs, including our onsite School Away from School
With the recent addition of 28 new guest suites, we now welcome 82 families each night, offering peace, comfort, and a safe place to stay just steps from their child’s care.

Who We Are

San Diego’s Ronald McDonald House emerged from the collective voices and vision of parents who knew firsthand the struggles that come to both children with cancer and the families who support them.

With Donald Schwartz, MD., founding medical director of the cancer care center at Children’s Hospital (now Rady Children’s Hospital), and hospital social worker Irma Gusfield, this visionary collective brought forward a movement that has literally changed the lives of thousands of families with hospitalized children.

Since 1980, San Diego’s Ronald McDonald House has been an independent, locally run charitable organization dedicated to keeping families together when it matters most.

The 2025 launch of our Imagine the Moment Campaign for San Diego’s Ronald McDonald House positions us to serve an even greater number of families, expand our healing services through our Family Support Services program, and build an endowment that ensures continued annual operational funding for years to come.

Meet Our Board

Meet Our Team

A History Focused On Making a Difference

1980-2000

San Diego’s Original Ronald McDonald House
opens with room for eight families whose children are battling pediatric cancer. A resident manager lives on site. A 1989 addition makes room for four more families. The Joan Kroc Endowment is established. Community need continues to grow, and we look for ways to expand near our main hospital partners.

2006

New “real estate”
With plans by Joseph Wong Design Associates, we gain approval to build a 65,000 sq. ft. House in an unusual spot: the top floor of a parking structure under construction by Rady Children’s Hospital. Local McDonald’s Owners, our founding mission partners, pledge $2 million for
construction.

2009

New House Opens
Our silver LEED certified House has 47 guest suites, rooftop courtyards, and a Family Care Center to aid thousands of families per year
beyond our resident families.

2010

New Ways to Support Families

School Away from School opens so children staying at the House can attend school onsite with the San Diego Unified School District.

New Annual Events fund expanded family care. Prominent events included Red Shoe Day supported by Wells Fargo, Poker Run by PJ and Debbie Byrne,

Cake Show by the San Diego Cake Club, Tables for Tots by GM Business Interiors,
Dinner with Friends by Carlos Sanguinetti and Matt Teeter, and the ROMP gala created by Mary Drake.

Meal Service greatly expands to reach more families, serving 50,000+ free meals in its first year with in-kind donations and volunteer support. It goes on to become a model for Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide.

2011

Our Meal Program Shines
Meal Program continues to grow, serving over 100,000 meals to families during their child’s hospitalization. Donors include the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, the Farrell Family Foundation, and SDG&E as well as community groups and local retailers.

2012

A $3.5 Million Gift from the Joseph Clayes III Charitable Trust creates the Joseph Clayes III Endowment Fund at the House.

2013

Day of Joy Created
Day of Joy/Día de Alegría reception starts, bringing together leading Latinas y Amigas in support of family care.

2014

ROMP gala hits a high note with Stephen Tyler as headliner, thanks to Chair Jennifer Gramins.

San Diego Zoo Kids TV
Ours is the first Ronald McDonald House worldwide to bring zoo programming to children and families 24 hours a day.

2016

Guest Suites Renovated
After seven years at full occupancy, all 47 guest suites undergo “rejuvenation” to stay in top condition for family care. Funded by donors including the French Fund, the S. Mark Taper Foundation, and more.

2017

North House Grand Reopening 
Original House is renovated and reopened for use by families once again, increasing our total capacity to 55 rooms. Supporting donors include the David C. Copley Foundation, Price Philanthropies, and the Zable Foundation.

2017-2018

Improvements for Families include the San Diego Padres & Fowler Family Playroom, the Filkey & Associates Restorative Spa
Showers, and the Salka Family Wellness Center.

1,000,000 Meals Served to families
since our 2009 expansion. Leading
donors support renovations for the next million meals, including the JMS Fund, Letitia Swortwood Wheat, and the Caster Family.

2019

Many Hearts Legacy Society Begins, celebrating those who are committed to ensuring care for future generations through
their estates.

2020

During COVID-19, we continued to serve families with the most critically ill children. Gifts to our Emergency Family Care Fund were matched with over $300,000 in gifts from longtime friends including Nancy Stanley and Family, the Miyahira Families and HME, and anonymous supporters.

2021

Thanks to the incredible support of Vertex employees and the Vertex Foundation, we completed a demolition and remodel of our Guest Services Office, turning it into a welcoming space where families could check-in to the House in privacy. We celebrated this milestone accomplishment with a virtual ribbon cutting and unveiling ceremony with Mayor Todd Gloria, viewed by Vertex employees around the world.

2022

After COVID-19 restrictions lifted, we were able to resume events with the incredible support of the San Diego community.

2024

Our meal service program continues to expand, offering strength to weary families through a hot meal. Over 100,000 meals were served in 2024, thanks to volunteer groups and community partners donating their food and time.

2025

Launch of the Imagine the Moment Campaign for our San Diego Ronald McDonald House

Through the generosity of the San Diego community, we were able to add 28 rooms to our existing House – increasing capacity by 50%!

Introduction of a Family Support Services Program Led by a Director of Social Work (LCSW), this program will ensure around-the-clock support for resident guest families. Family Support Services will serve parents and caregivers, siblings and outpatient children, and staff that engage with guests.

1980-2000

2006

2009

New House Opens with Day Services, expanding our reach
Silver LEED certified House has 47 guest suites, rooftop courtyards, and a Family Care
Center to aid thousands of families per year
beyond our resident families.

2010

New Ways to Support Families: Our School Away from School opens so children staying at the House can attend school onsite with the San Diego Unified School District.

New Annual Events fund expanded family care. Prominent events include Red Shoe Day, originally supported by Wells Fargo, Poker Run by PJ and Debbie Byrne, Cake Show by the San Diego Cake Club,

Tables for Tots by GM Business Interiors,
Dinner with Friends by Carlos Sanguinetti and Matt Teeter, and the ROMP gala created by Mary Drake.

Meal Service greatly expands to reach more families, serving 50,000+ free meals in its
first year with inkind donations and volunteer support. It goes on to become a model for Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide.

2011

Our Meal Program Shines
Meal Program continues to grow, serving over 100,000 meals to families during their child’s hospitalization. Donors include the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, the Farrell Family
Foundation, and SDG&E as well as community groups and local retailers.

2012

A $3.5 Million Gift from the Joseph Clayes III Charitable Trust creates the Joseph Clayes III Endowment Fund at the House.

2013

Day of Joy Created
Day of Joy/Día de Alegría reception starts, bringing together leading Latinas y Amigas in support of family care.

2014

ROMP gala hits a high note with Stephen Tyler as headliner, thanks to Chair Jennifer Gramins.
San Diego Zoo Kids TV
Ours is the first Ronald McDonald House
worldwide to bring zoo programming to children and families 24 hours a day, as made possible by philanthropist

2016

Guest Suites Renovated
After seven years at full occupancy, all 47
guest suites undergo “rejuvenation” to stay in
top condition for family care. Funded by donors including the French Fund, the S. Mark Taper Foundation, and more.

2017

North House Grand Reopening 
Original House is renovated and reopened for use by families once again. Supporting donors include the David C. Copley Foundation, Price Philanthropies, and the Zable Foundation.

2017-2018

Improvements for Families include the
San Diego Padres & Fowler Family Playroom, the Filkey & Associates Restorative Spa
Showers, and the Salka Family Wellness Center.
1,000,000 Meals Served to families
since our 2009 expansion. Leading
donors support renovations for the next million meals, including the JMS Fund, Letitia
Swortwood Wheat, and the Caster Family.

2019

Main House Transformation The heart of our House is renovated from reception to commercial and family kitchens, with the Joseph Clayes III Great Room at the center. A new $500,000 Joseph Clayes III Meal
Program Endowment helps support ongoing nutrition for families near the hospital.
Many Hearts Legacy Society Begins, celebrating those who are committed to ensuring care for future generations through their estates.

2020

2021

2022

After COVID-19 restrictions lifted, we were able to resume events with the incredible support of the San Diego community.

2024

Our meal service program continues to expand, offering strength to weary families through a hot meal. Over 258,000 meals were served in 2024, thanks to volunteer groups and community partners donating their food and time.