Ronald McDonald House of Scranton address the most urgent needs of our community – Children’s Health

Founded in 1986, The Ronald McDonald House of Scranton serves the families of children who are hospitalized here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
When faced with their child’s illness, life stops overnight for parents as they enter a world of fear and worry. For parents who don’t live close to the medical care their child needs, there’s an added stress – Distance. Most families have to travel hours for treatment. Living expenses quickly add up. Long drives, lost jobs, worried siblings, sleeping in cars, being far from family and friends – These are extra burdens no family should have to experience. Come alongside us as we help even more families stay close through the biggest challenge of their lives. Together, we can do big things.

While we cannot make medicine taste better or take away painful treatments, we can help lessen the burden and ensure thousands of families a year have the stability and resources they need to keep their child healthy and happy. We believe that an oasis of comfort in a sea of chaos is as powerful as any medication. We believe that a home is more than four walls and a roof over your head. It is the intangible haven that transpires in moments shared together. We believe in building a community that finds strength, hope and courage in embracing healing as a joyous experience.

Help us keep families close for years to come. Please give generously.

For more information, contact Warren Shotto, Executive Director at warren@rmhscranton.org or download the Press Kit.

Our mission

“Guiding us in our mission to ease the hardship of children’s illness on families through programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of children are our Core Values: Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence (I-CARE).”

We enhance our mission by establishing and managing Ronald McDonald Family Room programs in area hospitals that provide a comfortable, homelike environment for our families.

INTEGRITY

We operate with integrity and honor. Our actions are always in keeping with what is best for the mission.
We are consistently trustworthy and reliable, and are good stewards of our resources.
We own up to our mistakes. When wrong, we apologize and work to fix the problem.

COMPASSION

We actively seek to understand, sympathize with, and alleviate the distress of others.
We show love and compassion to those with whom we work and serve each day, and rejoice when their needs are met.
We see the good in every person and interact with kindness, grace, and enthusiastic encouragement.
We are a people-focused organization; we never forget that our mission is to serve families in need.

ACCOUNTABILITY

We sustain our culture of being trustworthy, dependable, and principled through active cooperation and authentic, open communication.
We acknowledge that, in return for support, we owe honesty, transparency, and accountability to our community, our co-workers, and our customers.
We keep our promises, uphold our commitments, and take full responsibility for our actions.

RESPECT

We believe that everyone deserves respect, courtesy, kindness and consideration.
We respect and welcome others’ viewpoints, strengths and differences, and celebrate our diversity.
Our approach to our work will be collaborative, thoughtful and inclusive.
We ensure that everyone is heard, demonstrating tolerance and fairness in all of our actions.

EXCELLENCE

We strive for excellence in everything we do, holding ourselves to the highest standards and constantly seeking ways to improve and expand our services.
We provide something “extra” whenever possible. We strive to exceed our own and others’ expectations, and never say “That’s not my job”.
We are one unified team. We work as one to achieve the mission of RMHS and serve the needs of the organization, the families and each other.

Our History

Our Doors Have Been Open For Over 30 Years

Since the day we opened the doors of the Ronald McDonald House of Scranton in 1986, we have never closed them. Not for a day, not for an hour. Families depend on us, and we depend on the thousands of people who have supported us faithfully and who continue to support the RMH of Scranton to ensure that our doors are always open.

The First Ronald McDonald House – Philadelphia, 1974

In 1974 the first Ronald McDonald House opened its doors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time Kim Hill, the daughter of Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill, was undergoing treatment for leukemia. Throughout Kim’s treatment, her father recognized the need for a supportive environment away from the hospital for families of seriously ill children. He enlisted the aid of his teammates and local McDonald’s restaurant owners to raise funds that would help purchase and renovate the first Ronald McDonald House.

The first Ronald McDonald House was named, not only because of McDonald’s fundraising support but also for the positive, hopeful, and fun-loving feeling Ronald McDonald was able to instill into the minds of so many children.

Today there are over 300 Ronald McDonald Houses located world-wide. Every Ronald McDonald House is autonomous and is owned by a not-for-profit corporation in the city where it is located.

Board Officers

Fred Rinaldi, Esq.
President

Robert Markowski
Vice President

Jessica Wallo
Treasurer

Michele Neary
Secretary

Board Members

Amber Azzarelli
Carl Beardsley
Carol Chisdak
Justin Davis
Tom Bisignani
Christina Curran
Tom Donohue
Michael Greenstein
Lindsey Loss
Peggy Lovecchio
John Mackey
Carol Mueller – Founder
Kathy Nelson
Steve Phillips
Elaine Shepard
Melvyn Wolk, M.D – Founder

Friends of the Board

Joseph Andriole, M.D.
Anthony Aquilina, M.D.
Jan Brown
Pam DeNaples
Joseph Ferretti
Andrew Furman, M.D.
Paul Gionfriddo
William Hall, Esq.
James Martin
Berne McDonald
Joseph Perrotti, D.M.D.
James Reid, Esq.
Raymond C. Rinaldi, Esquire
Vincent L. Ross, M.D.
J. Delfor Salazar M.D.
Joseph Tomko