A quarter century of Ronald McDonald House

LIHU‘E — Ronald McDonald thrilled Kaua‘i youngsters and their parents Saturday, presenting a special show commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House “home-away-from home” at the Kukui Grove Center.

Coupled with giveaways and a string of local entertainment, the icon of the Golden Arches entertained a good-sized audience of families, bringing the 25th anniversary celebration to Kaua‘i.

Hawai‘i’s Ronald McDonald House is the cornerstone program of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawai‘i which works to improve the lives of the children of Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim by providing a “home-away-from-home” for seriously ill children and their families, states its website.

Its two residential facilities on O‘ahu provide comfort and support for more than 400 families, annually.

The two facilities operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with each being a “home-away-from-home” for families who must go to O‘ahu seeking specialized medical treatments for their children’s catastrophic illnesses.

The purpose of the facilities is to keep families together during these trying times, the Judd Hillside home for families with children receiving outpatient treatments or those traveling with siblings of the patient. This is the original Ronald McDonald House which opened in 1987.

The O‘ahu Avenue Ronald McDonald House is for adult family members of children receiving in-patient care and for Neighbor Island women experiencing “high-risk” pregnancies. It opened its doors in 2006.

Since opening in 1987, the Ronald McDonald Houses have served thousands of families with about 75 percent coming from the Neighbor Islands and other from Guam and other Pacific Rim locations.

Visit www.ronaldhousehawaii.org for more information.

• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.