New Look. Same Heart.
A new chapter has begun for Ronald McDonald House Albany. This spring, we proudly unveiled a refreshed brand identity that includes a new logo, updated website, enhanced technology, and a simplified name: Ronald McDonald House Albany. While our look has evolved, the heart of our organization remains unchanged—providing comfort, care, and support to families with children receiving medical treatment.
At the center of the rebrand is our new tagline: Family Stays. Simple yet powerful, it reflects the belief that no family should have to choose between being close to their child and having a place to stay during a medical crisis.
“Family is not a visitor. They stick around for the long haul,” said Ronald McDonald House Albany CEO Kimmy Venter during the rebrand announcement. “When a child is in the hospital, family stays—and we stay with them.”
For more than four decades, Ronald McDonald House Albany has helped families navigate some of life’s most difficult moments. Today, our programs include a 25- bedroom House near Albany Medical Center, two Family
Rooms inside the hospital, the Comfort Cart program, and the Ronald McDonald House Family Retreat at Krantz Cottage in Lake George. Together, these services provide families with more than just a place to stay—they provide rest, stability, community, and hope.
In 2025 alone, Ronald McDonald House Albany hosted 310 families for 4,754 nights, welcomed nearly 6,000 visitors to our Family Rooms, and served families from 34 New York counties and 10 states. Every stay, every meal, and every moment of support was provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, donors, corporate partners, and community members
For families like the Tougas and Barnes family of Glens Falls, the House has become much more than temporary lodging. After first staying at Ronald McDonald House Albany when her daughter Kara was six years old, Kathy Barnes returned years later when her granddaughter spent more than three months in the NICU.
“As soon as we walk in, it’s just family,” Kathy shared. “It’s like coming home.”
That sense of belonging is echoed by countless guest families, including 17-year-old Vivienne Belena, who has stayed at the House during treatments since 2019.
“When I first came here, I was stressed, and this place made me feel right at home,” she said. “It’s become a second family to me.”
For Board President Dan Miller, the mission is deeply personal. Before serving on the Board, he and his family relied on Ronald McDonald House Albany when their son was born prematurely in 2019.
“It gave us the comfort, care, and stability we needed to be the parents our son needed us to be,” Miller said. “This rebrand represents the next generation of Ronald McDonald House, modernizing our identity while remaining deeply rooted in our mission to support families at their greatest times of need.”
The rebrand is more than a new logo; it is a renewed promise that Ronald McDonald House Albany will continue evolving to meet the needs of families today and into the future.
Because when a child needs care, family stays. And so do we.