Renovated Ronald McDonald House Orange County welcomes families home
On the deck of the Ronald McDonald House Orange County in the city of Orange, there is a clear view of Children’s Hospital of Orange County. CHOC can be seen from multiple vantage points, a detail that Noel Burcelis, RMHOC’s executive director said is a big source of comfort for families staying at the facility.
“For some families it is critical, because they see their child, not the building, and they feel the proximity,” Burcelis said.
Ronald McDonald House Charities offer support and rooms in home-like facilities to families who have traveled far for medical care for their children. The first house opened in Philadelphia in 1974, and today there are more than 258 Ronald McDonald House chapters in 60 countries. Ronald McDonald House Orange County, at 383 South Batavia St., is located just a few blocks from the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Burcelis said the proximity is instrumental in supporting many of the families he has encountered since he began his career with RMHOC in 2011 as director of operations.
Once, a father and son from Korea came to Southern California for vacation, and the day before they were scheduled to return home, the son was involved in a drowning incident at their hotel pool.
“I was called by the hospital, asking me to come in to speak to Dad; he was basically unresponsive.” said Burcelis. “He wanted to sit in silence.”
While the father waited for the child’s mother to fly to the U.S. on an emergency visa, Children’s Hospital of Orange County offered him a room at Ronald McDonald House Orange County, but he refused it. Burcelis let him know it was close enough to walk to, and the father agreed to at least have a look.
“We walked over here and until we got to the parking lot, and he saw the hospital from here, he agreed. He said, ‘Oh, there is my son,’” said Burcelis.
Now, the facility near CHOC will be able to serve even more families. On Aug. 31, Ronald McDonald House Orange County reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony after undergoing a $15.7-million expansion. In 2023, media and alumni families were invited to tour the construction site to see the progress, and even more guests were invited to celebrate the opening.
The capital campaign for the expansion, led by co-chairs Katie Rucker and Charles Antis, surpassed its original $12-million goal, thanks to donations from nearly 300 donors and a sizable contribution of $2.3 million from local Orange County McDonald’s franchise owners.
Burcelis, Rucker, Antis and other board members and alumni families offered remarks before the ribbon cutting. Antis, who first connected with RMHOC in 2014 when his twins were born prematurely, touched briefly on the time it has taken to complete the house.
“I had no idea how the world would keep shifting during the capital campaign,” Antis said. “It was only supposed to be three years, though it lasted a lot longer. It was supposed to go smoothly but not just a global pandemic hit, we had a 25% price increase, we had vandalism, we had all sorts of delays … but the day is here and I am elated.”
Burcelis presented a key to the new house to Ronald McDonald, and attendees were invited to tour the nearly 30,000-square-foot facility.
The Ronald McDonald House in Orange County opened in 1989 and before the expansion housed 20 rooms. The remodeled and expanded space added 24 additional guest rooms as well as new services, like an in-house salon and spa.
“We’ve offered salons and haircuts in the area before, but we had very few takers ... what mom would step away from their kid to get their hair cut? But if it is in the space, that really helps them,” said Burcelis.
There is also a sensory room for families with little ones that require a reprieve from the overwhelming sensations of a hospital and a new teen room designed to give young adults a place to exists away from young kids in the separate playroom.
The kitchen and dining areas have also been expanded, which Burcelis said allows families to eat communally or not.
“Communal dining is what we encourage, but we also respect that families may not be in a position to share and socialize,” said Burcelis.
Douglas Kanner, chairman of the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, joined a tour of the new facility with Burcelis and commented on how RMHOC serves as more than an overnight stay. It puts families in a place where they are surrounded by people who understand what they’re going through.
“This a place where you are around other families, you are around love,” said Kanner. “A hotel is just a room.”
Ronald McDonald House Orange County is now ready to welcome guests home. If families need reassurance, they can look at the window and see the hospital, just a few blocks away.
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