It all began in Philadelphia in 1974 when Dr. Audrey Evans, head of the pediatric oncology unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, teamed up with McDonald’s and the Philadelphia Eagles to open the world’s first Ronald McDonald House. Today, there are more than 655 Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald House Family Room programs serving families in more than 60 countries and regions around the world.
Learn more about our local history below.
Watch four of our founders reflect on how “The House That Love Built” came to life in Albany, NY.
The idea to open a Ronald McDonald House in Albany started with Dr. William Cromie, who came to Albany Medical Center as head of Pediatric Urology in 1979. Dr. Cromie had served at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital from 1975-1979 — the formative years of the first Ronald McDonald House. During his tenure in Philadelphia, he witnessed firsthand how the Ronald McDonald House helped families coping with the illness of a child.
In June 1980, Dr. Cromie, Albany Medical Center officials, McDonald’s owner/operators, members of the Albany Junior League and other concerned citizens met in a boardroom at Albany Medical Center. It was at this meeting that the seed for the Albany Ronald McDonald House was planted.
For the next two years, hundreds of volunteers worked shoulder-to-shoulder, logging endless hours to ensure that the dream of a Ronald McDonald House in Albany became a reality. Their efforts paid off, and on June 30, 1982, the Albany Ronald McDonald House opened its doors to its very first guests, becoming the 35th Ronald McDonald House in the world.
Five years later, in 1987, it became apparent that the facilities at 139 S. Lake Avenue were inadequate to meet the overwhelming need of families. The Board of Directors voted to purchase a second house next door at 137 S. Lake Avenue. Over the course of two years of renovations that required tremendous community support, the two houses were turned into one. By June of 1989, the capacity of the Albany Ronald McDonald House had doubled, with 16 bedrooms now available for families in need.
By 1992 — our 10th anniversary — the Albany Ronald McDonald House counted more than 5,000 guests served at “The House That Love Built.” In 1996, Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities merged to form Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region — now Ronald McDonald House Albany — and our programs began to expand even further.
In August of 2000, the Ronald McDonald House Family Room opened inside the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center. For the first time, the comforts of the Ronald McDonald House were made available to families just steps away from their child’s bedside. In June of 2006, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile debuted in partnership with St. Peters Health Care Services, delivering free, comprehensive dental care to children most in need for nearly 15 years.
On our 30th anniversary in 2012, we launched a fundraising campaign to add a third house to the original two established in the ’80s. The $2 million project was completed in 2015, adding nine guest rooms and allowing the Albany Ronald McDonald House to serve up to 25 families at once.
Today, more than 400 families call the Albany Ronald McDonald House “home” each year, and even more receive support from our in-hospital and community-based programs. In January 2020, we debuted our Comfort Cart (formerly known as the Hospitality Cart) at Albany Medical Center, extending resources and support even further for families with children in the hospital. In July 2021, we opened the first-of-its-kind Ronald McDonald House Family Retreat at Krantz Cottage in Lake George. And in January 2026, we added a second Ronald McDonald House Family Room program to our offerings at Albany Med, this one located right inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to support families with babies in need of critical care.
We continue to work closely with the global Ronald McDonald House network, local healthcare providers, and countless community partners to provide essential services that keep families at the heart of their children’s care. Your support makes all of this possible. We are grateful to all who’ve been part of our story thus far, and we hope you will play a part in our future.
