Our History

It started with “the House that Love Built”®. The first Ronald McDonald House® was opened in Philadelphia in 1974, to meet the needs of families who had no place to stay while their child was hospitalized. Due to the overwhelming success of Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide, Ronald McDonald House Charities was formed in 1984, to meet a broader base of children’s needs.

Chattanooga Ronald McDonald House Charities was established in 1990 with 14 guest rooms and was expanded to 26 rooms in 2000.  It is the 137th House to be built.  There are now over 270 Ronald McDonald Houses in the world.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room was opened in 1996 to accommodate the needs of families caring for loved ones in the hospital.  Since the program began more than 200,000 people have visited.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, the first of its kind in Tennessee, was established in March 2003.  The mobile unit is a state-of-the-art dental clinic on wheels which provides children and young adults, 21 and younger who are either on TennCare or have no insurance, all the services of a dentist’s office at no charge.  The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile is a partnership between Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga and Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. There are over 30 Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles now operating globally in 4 countries. Chattanooga's mobile unit was the 13th to be in operation.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship Program was launched in Chattanooga in 2002.  It offers 40, $1,000 academic scholarships annually, to area high schools’ seniors.  The RMHC scholarship program is funded in part through canister promotions at local McDonald’s restaurants and a matching grant from the global organization.