The ribbon has been cut on the newly expanded RMHOC, now dubbed the Kerbs Family Building!
Over the holiday weekend, Ronald McDonald House® Orange County (RMHOC), celebrated its $15.7 million expansion with a ribbon cutting ceremony generously sponsored by Bandai Namco and a tour of the facilities for partners, donors, and special guests from the community. A true labor of love, the capital campaign for the expansion surpassed its initial $12 million goal with the help of nearly 300 donors including a contribution of $2.3 million from local McDonald’s franchise owners.
“More families than ever travel to Orange County from around the world to get life-saving care for their children at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and other nearby hospitals,” said, RMHOC Board Member and McDonald’s Owner/Operator Brad Horner. “With just 20 rooms, it was challenging for the House to serve every family in need of the comfort, community and closeness it provides.”
In attendance were key leaders and partners in the expansion and the charity including: capital campaign co-chairs and former board members Charles Antis and Katie Rucker, Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) inspiration family Fred and Fran Hill, former Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southern California (RMHCSC) CEO Vince Bryson, RMHCSC CEO Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez, RMHOC Board Chair Steve Tomassi and founding members of the RMHOC board in 1989.
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees were invited on guided tours of the House to view the updates including 24 additional guest rooms and new services such as an in-house salon and spa, sensory room, new teen and playrooms and expanded kitchen and dining areas. At nearly 30,000 square feet and with 44 total guest rooms, RMHOC expects to serve more than 5,000 guests annually and sits just a seven-minute walk from Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
“Today is about so much more than simply completing the expansion of a building,” said RMHOC Executive Director Noel Burcelis. “It’s about a community of people who came together to make sure more families can remain close to their child receiving life-saving care. It’s about more families having a place where they can rest, cook, do their laundry and wake up each day knowing that the only thing they have to do today is focus on the well-being of their child. To those families, we say ‘welcome home.’”
Relive this special day in RMHOC History:
