Ronald McDonald House Charities Champions Strong Female Leaders in Its Service to Hospitalized Children and Their Families
Close to home.
Just before he turned 4, Melissa’s son was diagnosed with leukemia. His condition worsened rapidly, forcing doctors to place him in a coma. It was a dark moment for Melissa’s family, who worried about facing this medical development alone.
Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez
For Jessika, instead of basking in the glow of childbirth, she hemorrhaged dangerously within an hour of delivery while her premature twins were whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit. When her husband had to return to work and Jessika was recovering at home, she couldn’t drive to be with her infant boys.
After young Sean was treated for a traumatic brain injury he sustained far from home, he was transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation program back in Southern California. Even though it was closer to home, the 40-mile drive was a hardship for his family—more than an hour each way for them to be with Sean.
For so many families like these, long-distance hospital stays, financial burdens and emotional exhaustion make the already devastating experience of a child being sick even harder. Fortunately, Ronald McDonald House Charities brought hope to Melissa, Jessika, Sean and their families—thanks to the vision of a strong female doctor half a century ago.
In the early 1950s, Audrey Evans was the only female student in her medical school and was determined to carve a path in a male-dominated field. She was well on her way—serving as the first chief of oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and conducting pioneering research—when she noticed many parents sleeping in hospital chairs, unable to afford hotel rooms and sometimes forgoing treatment for their children due to financial challenges.
Nina Patel
Dr. Evans believed that healing wasn’t just about treating a disease; it was about creating an environment where children and their families felt safe, comforted and cared for. At first she opened her own apartment to some of those families. Then she imagined something bigger—a home where families could stay together near the medical care they needed. With the support of several cofounders and corporate partner McDonald’s, in 1974 that vision became the first Ronald McDonald House, in Philadelphia, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).
“We believe in caring for the family as a whole—because no child fights alone.”
The desire for a program that supported the unique needs of families with critically ill or injured children quickly spread to other cities. RMHC has grown to approximately 1,000 programs worldwide, including Ronald McDonald Houses, Family Rooms and Care Mobile programs.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California (RMHCSC) began in 1977, opening its Los Angeles house a few years later. Spanning from Bakersfield to Orange County, it now operates seven houses and three family rooms that give parents and caregivers an oasis and a chance to connect with other families—free and close to their hospitalized child.
RMHCSC also offers the year-round Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times at no cost for children with cancer and their siblings. In 2013, Los Angeles native Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez joined the camp as development director, and today she leads the SoCal chapter as its CEO.
Dr. Audrey Evans
“My vision is centered on organizational excellence with the single purpose of serving families better,” shares Fatima, who has devoted her career to service focused on youth development, equity and building community. “Every improvement in how we communicate, fundraise, and support our staff and volunteers ultimately means more stability, dignity and compassion for families during their most difficult days.”
She and her husband, Lucio, have two daughters, and it’s not lost on Fatima that she is shaping their understanding of what women can accomplish. “I hope my work shows them the strength and resilience women bring to business and the nonprofit sector,” she says. “I want them to see that leadership isn’t about titles; it’s about service, perseverance and using your voice to make a difference.”
In 2011, RMHCSC opened its sixth house, the 23-room Long Beach Ronald McDonald House on the Long Beach Memorial Hospital campus. The facility also serves the South Bay, welcoming families of seriously ill children from all over the world who are receiving treatment at nearby medical facilities. Last year the Long Beach house hosted 524 families.
“We hope to create a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy by keeping them close to each other and the care they need,” says Nina Patel, executive director of the Long Beach house and Manhattan Beach resident since 1993.
Nina has worked in the nonprofit sector for almost two decades, focusing her work on improving educational and developmental opportunities for children of all abilities. In 2022, while her niece was in a trauma ICU unit for 28 days, a family opened their home to Nina’s family—providing a month-long respite near the hospital at no cost. When Nina learned early this year that the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House was hiring a director, she took the position in part to “pay it forward” for the generosity of that family.
“I felt that it was a sign, and I knew I had to apply for the job,” she says. “Every day that I drive to work, I know my purpose. Our goal is to reach more families, strengthen our programs and ensure that no child faces their medical journey without support.”
The Long Beach house hosts the annual A Few Good Men and Women Gala to raise much-needed funds, with this year’s event planned for October 29. Proceeds will help fund upcoming renovations and kick off a hospitality cart program in South Bay hospitals that will provide comfort items and meals directly to families in pediatric units. Nina and her team are also considering providing day services—a place to nap, a meal, laundry facilities, a space for children’s play—for families who are at the hospital all day but not staying at the house.
“Our commitment extends beyond housing,” Fatima says. “We believe in caring for the family as a whole—because no child fights alone.”
While founding partner McDonald’s funds 10% to 15% of the operations to run Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide, fundraising efforts remain largely dependent on local support through volunteering, donations and spreading awareness. RMHCSC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that relies on the support of the community to achieve its goals.
“Every effort makes a difference in ensuring that families stay together when they need it most,” Fatima says. “We greatly value donations from individuals and corporate partners.”
The story of Ronald McDonald House Charities began more than 50 years ago with a strong woman who saw a need, took action and sparked a global movement. In March, audiences across the country experienced Dr. Evans’ remarkable story with the biographical film Audrey’s Children. She was a visionary whose legacy as a strong woman continues to impact Fatima, Nina and the many others who provide hope, strength and healing through the work Dr. Evans began.
“I am inspired by Dr. Evans every day,” says Fatima. “To now lead alongside Nina in the South Bay, continuing that legacy of strong women in leadership, is both humbling and motivating.”
