Walk for Kids Raises $1.8 Million for Ronald McDonald House Charities

Los Angeles, CA– Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southern California (RMHCSC) announced today that more than $1.8 million was raised through its Walk for Kids fundraiser, which took place in Anaheim, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, April 1; and in Bakersfield on Saturday, June 2. More than 22,000 individuals participated in the 3.1 mile walks to raise funds for RMHCSC and its programs.

“Walk for Kids is our organization’s most important fundraising program, which year after year comes together with the combined effort of our RMHCSC staff, community residents, and sponsors that give it their all for the joy of seeing our kids and their families smile, in spite of their adversity” said Rob Parker, CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. “We are profoundly thankful for this year’s overwhelming support, which will allow us to continue helping families of children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses.”

Money raised through Walk for Kids will be used to fund overnight stays at Ronald McDonald Houses—located in Bakersfield, Loma Linda, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange and Pasadena— which offer low-cost, children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals and medical centers. The funds will also be applied towards weeklong trips for children with cancer and their siblings to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, which provides sick children an opportunity to process their diagnosis and restore their self-esteem while learning independence and self-reliance in the therapeutic environment of the great outdoors. Additionally, the monies will go towards Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, which serve as an oasis inside the hospital for parents with children in the pediatric intensive care unit and neonatal intensive care unit.

This year’s Walk for Kids sponsors were McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, E*TRADE Financial, and Clear Channel.

For more than 30 years, RMHCSC has been committed to providing comfort, care and support to children and families in Southern California. RMHCSC is dedicated to creating a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy by operating six Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, four scholarship programs and a Community Grants Board. For more information on RMHCSC, visit rmhcsc.org.

Follow them at twitter.com/RMHC_SoCal.