It began in 1981, when Jef Conner and Hunt Rounsavall found themselves in the hallways of a hospital as their infant daughter, Christine, received treatment for neuroblastoma. But what they didn’t expect was that hospital hallway was also a hotel—parents spent their days and nights in those halls because, often enough, home was simply too far away.
“[They] didn’t feel comforted by that,” says April Sage, director of communications for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, “that families had to go through so much stress when there was already stress from their child being in the hospital.” Partnering with Dr. Sal Bertolone, the family opened the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana in 1984, 10 years after the first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia.
“Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana is a home away from home for families who have children who need medical care or healthcare away from their hometown and seek that in Louisville,” Sage says. “So a lot of the people we serve are from across the state, sometimes other states and even across the world. It’s for families who need to travel for that medical care—they can’t find that care in their hometown.” Ronald McDonald House provides a free room and nightly meals. And with their 2020 renovation, during which they added 20 rooms, they have shifted to an even more accessible approach. “When we did that expansion, we realized a lot of the families we were serving were families that were participating in the Frazier Rehab trials … and when we did our renovation, we were very intentional on making spaces that were accessible for those families, so that they could get around with ease and not feel like there were barriers for them.”
Not only do they provide a place for families to call home during their time in Louisville, but the charity has also worked to make healthcare settings feel more like home. “Over time, we realized that there were needs for more services that went beyond our house. So, in 1992, we opened our first Ronald McDonald Family Room in Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital.” Today, the charity has three Family Room locations, having added rooms at Norton Children’s Hospital and Frazier Rehab Institute. The Family Room is a space within the hospital where families can go for some much-needed rest. There are showers, snacks, places to sleep and more, depending on location—it’s like a miniature Ronald McDonald House for families to use without setting foot outside the healthcare setting.
With such a variety of options, the charity is truly in place to impact as many families as possible. “A lot of our families come to us sometimes in crisis. We have a lot of families who have children premature, and they can’t get the specialized care in their community, so they must travel, in a crisis mode, to Louisville to seek that care. And a lot of times, they don’t really know what their next thing is going to be—they don’t know where they’re going to sleep, where they’re going to eat. They’re really focused on the care of their child. And thankfully, we’re able to be there for them, so we can take … one of those worries, two of those worries away, so they really can focus on the health and well-being of their children,” Sage reflects. “Last year we served a little over 1,200 families at our house program, and that saved families $3.3 million in food and lodging cost. So, they were able to fully put that focus on their child versus having to figure out the logistics of where to stay.”
Throughout the year, the charity keeps families engaged, whether they are actively on location or not. “We put a lot of effort into activities for the families who are staying here during the summer,” Sage says. “We have a lot of repeat families who come back and do three-month trials at Frazier Rehab. We really try to keep them engaged through activities. We connect with different partners across the city to find some places that they can go and get outside of the house, like the Louisville Zoo [and] the Kentucky Science Center. And that helps break up the mundane of going to the hospitals; so, we try to find opportunities for them.”
But in their service of families who have made Louisville their temporary home, the charity is significantly impacted by Louisville’s locals. It is volunteers who make evening meals for the families, and it is community members whose donations fund those families’ no-cost stays. As the summer continues, the charity will start a raffle in August, selling 1,984 tickets in honor of the year they opened. The next month, community members are welcome to attend “Intro to RMHCK” on Sept. 4—a lunch-and-learn for those interested in learning about the charity or getting involved. “We [also] participate in Give for Good Louisville, and it’s a really big fundraising event for us,” Sage says. “So we’d love the community to get involved with us there. We’re planning to be at the Louisville Bats game that night as well, if people want to come out and say hi.”
“Families never expect to need us—but thanks to our community, we’re always ready when they do,” Sage says. “Just having that community there and people who really care makes a huge impact for our families.”
Ronald McDonald House is truly one big family—one made of the volunteers and donors who keep the spaces running, and the families—and the very special children—who make Louisville their temporary home. It is a family built on service and support; on finding rest and hope amid the struggle. And ultimately, it is a home away from home.
For more information about Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, including how to get involved, please visit rmhck.org.
