Columbus Ronald Mcdonald House plans expansion
The Ronald Mcdonald House plans to expand its services in the greater Columbus area.
The organization, which provides families of seriously ill, hospitalized children a place to stay, will add 80 rooms to its facilities on Livingston Avenue in Columbus.
Along with additional rooms, the house will add new community rooms, expanded kitchen and dining areas, a green space for families and other renovations to the existing facilities as part of a campaign called "A Million Reasons ," according to a press release. The expansion will be completed between July and September of 2023 and has an estimated price tag of $28 million, a spokesman told The Dispatch.
The organization applied to rezone the property in March to prepare for the
expansion, which will be its second since opening in 2008.
Once the expansion is completed, the Ronald Mcdonald House in Columbus will be able to serve 2,000 more families families each year, increasing the families served annually to 6,500. The Ronald Mcdonald House estimates that it will save families coming to Columbus $14.2 million a year on hotel and food costs.
“This expansion will allow us to make a difference in the lives of so many more children and families, and we sincerely appreciate the support of our community," Dee Anders, CEO and executive director for Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Central Ohio said in a news release. "Without the generosity of Columbus and the Central Ohio region, we would not be able to accomplish this exciting growth.”
Columbus' Ronald Mcdonald House serves families with children being treated across the street at Nationwide Children's Hospital and also at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center, Ohiohealth hospitals and Mount Carmel hospitals. The charity also operates a Ronald Mcdonald Family Room at Ohiohealth's Riverside Methodist Hospital, and partners with Nationwide Children's to operate a mobile care unit.
The Ronald Mcdonald House open 365 days a year and the charity has been in operation since 1992, according to the news release. mfilby@dispatch.com @Maxfilby