When a child is seriously ill, everything else falls away. Days blur into nights, decisions feel heavier, and the routines that once grounded a family disappear. In the middle of it all, families do what they have always done, they show up, again and again, for the person who needs them most.
Because when a child is in the hospital, family doesn’t just visit. Family stays.
At Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon, that belief guides everything we do. We exist because family is not separate from care, it is a critical part of it.
Putting Family at the Heart of Care
When families can stay close, care changes.
Children cope better. Parents can stay engaged in decisions. Families can remain connected through every moment of their child’s treatment.
But for families across BC & Yukon, staying close is not simple.
On average, we help remove 498 kilometres from a family’s journey, bringing them hours closer to care when it matters most.
Distance is not just an inconvenience. It is a barrier to care.
No Family Should Have to Choose
When a child is sick, families should not have to choose between being there and having what they need to stay.
And yet, that is the reality for many.
In 2025 alone, 1,716 families relied on Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon, each one arriving in the middle of uncertainty, each one needing a place to stay close to care.
We exist to remove that choice.
Through our House in Vancouver and Family Rooms in hospitals across the province, we ensure families can remain together, close to their child, close to care, and close to what matters most.
Because treatment is only part of healing. Family is the rest.
What It Looks Like When Families Stay
When families can stay, the experience of care changes in ways both big and small.
It means a parent can rest, knowing they are only moments away. It means siblings can still laugh together at the end of a long day. It means a warm meal, a quiet space, and the relief of not having to face it all alone.
For many families, this support lasts weeks at a time, an average of 23 nights, and in some cases, months, or years.
These are the moments that make an impossible situation feel, even briefly, manageable.
This is what care looks like beyond the hospital walls.
Care Beyond the Hospital
Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon is not just a place to stay. It is part of how families experience care.
In 2025, that care included 76,562 meals prepared, 1,311 hours of wellness programming, and safe, welcoming spaces where 1,026 siblings could continue to grow, learn, and be together.
Every detail exists for a reason: to reduce stress, restore energy, and create space for families to be present for their child.
Because healthcare does not end at the hospital doors, and neither does care.
A Growing Need Across BC & Yukon
The need for families to stay close to care is growing.
In 2025, families came to Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon from 145 communities across the province and Yukon, reflecting the increasing distance families must travel to access specialized care.
With the opening of new Family Rooms in Kamloops and Prince George, we are expanding to meet that need, bringing care closer to home and ensuring more families can stay near their child’s bedside.
But demand continues to grow. More families are travelling. More families are arriving. And more families need a place to stay.
When Families Stay
For over 40 years, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon has been part of how families navigate some of the hardest moments of their lives.
That commitment continues today, and into the future.
Families need Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon. And we need you.
Your support is more than a donation. It is a meal after a long day, a place to rest at night, and the ability for families to stay together through it all.
In 2025, we helped ease more than $11.2 million in out-of-pocket costs for families, reducing the financial burden so they could focus on what matters most.
Because when families can stay, care is stronger.