In 2023, families staying at RMHC® Houses across the country travelled 5,275,188 kilometers – equivalent to travelling around the world over 131 times.

No parent anticipates, or can mentally and financially prepare for the reality of having a sick child. Picture the stress and emotional toll, compounded by the fact that the specialized healthcare your child needs is a multi-hour drive away, in an unfamiliar city, far from the comfort and support of home.

This is the harsh reality that many families with a sick child across Canada face every day. RMHC Toronto is here to help ease this journey and has done so for thousands of families since its inception in 1981.

Given the vast geography of our country, and with 16 specialty children’s hospitals serving our entire population, travel, often long distances, to access specialty care is the reality for many families in Canada. RMHC Toronto boasts the largest Ronald McDonald House in Canada – due to its proximity to SickKids Hospital, the top paediatric hospital in the country – as well as seven Ronald McDonald Family Rooms® in five hospitals. In 2023, RMHC Toronto served 3,383 families from across Canada and around the world – families like the Carswell family from Tiny, Ontario, who live two hours away from the hospital in Toronto, where their newborn baby Mélodie received life-saving medical treatment.

“Right as we pulled up to Ronald McDonald House Toronto and someone came out to meet us, there was instant relief, like a weight off our shoulders,” says Ken Carswell, whose family stayed at Ronald McDonald House Toronto for 77 nights. “The team was extremely welcoming. It was like coming home to a second family.”

RMHC Toronto is part of the national network of Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) Canada, which encompasses 16 Ronald McDonald Houses and 19 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms across Canada. Together, these Chapters of RMHC Canada help shorten the distance for families by enabling access to healthcare. However, across the country, 4 out of 5 families go unserved due to lack of space.1

“Families with a child experiencing serious illness shouldn’t have to worry about commuting, long drives, or accommodations far from home,” says Christina Scicluna, Interim CEO at RMHC Toronto. “We envision a future where every family can be by their child’s side without barriers. With the help of our community and generous supporters, we’re working to open more doors for families so they can stay close to their seriously ill children.”

Across Canada, there are currently 549 bedrooms for families, and RMHC aims to grow this number to 884 by 2028, through new and expanded Ronald McDonald Houses and Family Room programs.

RMHC Toronto is calling on Canadians to help shorten the distance and end the “Never-Ending Drive” for families by donating today and helping to support families with sick children. The funds raised will be instrumental in supporting RMHC’s mission of helping more families stay together and to enhance existing and new programming to continue meeting the needs of the families they serve, including meal programming, mental health and wellness spaces, and more.

Visit rmhctoronto.ca/donate-today to make a donation.

In Canada, two out of three families live outside a city with a specialty children’s hospital and must travel for treatment if their child is seriously ill. The impact of RMHC across Canada is far reaching as today, 1 in 4 Canadians have either stayed with RMHC or know someone who has. Ronald McDonald House Toronto provides out-of-town families with a home to stay at while their child is being treated at a nearby hospital, and its seven Ronald McDonald Family Room programs provide a comfortable place for families to rest and recharge right inside hospitals. For more information, please visit rmhctoronto.ca

1 *Estimate. Data source: Canadian Institute for Health Information Discharge Abstract Database (DAD). Canadian Institute for Health Information National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS). 2018.