Program areas at RMHCSC
Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Southern California was founded in 1977 with a mission to provide comfort, care, and support to children and families in Southern California. Today, the chapter operates six houses across the region in orange county, long beach, inland empire, los angeles, bakersfield, and pasadena that collectively offer accommodation at little or no cost to 157 families every night, 365 days a year. We partnered with more than 26 regional hospitals, helping fill a critical healthcare gap for families of children with life-threatening conditions. Staff and volunteers strive to offer every comfort of home to families staying at the House, including: comfortable rooms that can accommodate up to four members of child's family; communal kitchens where families can prepare "home-cooked" meals during their stay; activities and meals planned by volunteer groups; free laundry facilities; computer and entertainment areas; and a sprawling backyard with dining and play areas. A highly trained team of guest services associates confer daily with hospital staff and social workers, greet families as they check-in, and tend to families' daily needs to help minimize distractions from their child's care. A team of family support specialists works on-site at our houses to offer emotional support for families through parent support groups and workshops. In orange and ventura county, our three family rooms provide 24-hour access to comfort stations within the hospital setting including living rooms with computers and televisions, quiet rooms, and play areas where parents and siblings can rest and connect with other families.
Camp Ronald Mcdonald for good times offers an authentic camp experience to children who have been diagnosed with cancer, their families, and their siblings. Camp is grounded in the field's best practices, providing experiential learning opportunities for youth to practice skills that have proven to lead to success in career and life, including leadership, collaboration/team work, problem solving and initiative/self-direction. The year-round program features five week-long summer sessions, two holiday-weekend winter camps, and eight weekend family camps (two in spanish). A new camp program for teenswilderness outdoor leadership program (w.o.l.p.) Is specifically designed to address a host of issues that affect adolescents who have received a cancer diagnosis. Activities like hiking, horseback riding, archery, and swimming help build motivation and resiliency in children facing difficult, long-term medical treatments, and create positive childhood memories for siblings who typically are denied such experiences due to their family's focus on a brother or sister's long-term medical care. Each participant may attend both a summer week and winter weekend session, along with their age-appropriate siblings, free of charge.all of our programs are offered at our 60 acre facility in mountain center, California. The camp facility is comprised of 14 cabins (200 beds), a pool, activity areas, hiking trails, a radio station, a dining hall, as well as a "med shed," where all of our campers' medical needs can be addressed while they are on-site.