Our mission: To provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare.
Our vision: A world where every family has what it needs for the best health outcomes for its children.
About Ronald McDonald House® Southwest
Ronald McDonald House Southwest is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that cares for families when they have children who are ill or injured. From our Ronald McDonald House in Lubbock and four Ronald McDonald House® Family Rooms in Lubbock, Odessa and Midland, we surround families across West Texas and southeastern New Mexico with the resources, services and support they need, so they can be at the heart of their child’s care. We are one of 250 independently operated Chapters in more than 60 countries and regions.
Our history
It all began in 1973 when Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill and his wife, Fran, learned that their daughter, Kim, had leukemia.
While traveling into Philadelphia for treatment at the children’s hospital, they met other families in the same situation. These families drove hours to the hospital to be with their children, only to sleep overnight in waiting room chairs and to eat from vending machines because they had nowhere else to go.
Fred Hill and his football team decided to do something for these families… build them a “home-away-from-home” in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Eagles teamed up with local McDonald’s Owner/Operators to raise money to purchase and restore a house near the hospital where these families could stay. Hence, the first Ronald McDonald House was born. Since that time, more than 300 Houses have been built worldwide.
The drive to establish a Ronald McDonald House in Lubbock first originated in 1981 by the Junior League of Lubbock. In 1983, a non-profit organization named Family House, Inc. was organized, and the local co-op of McDonald’s restaurants and the national McDonald’s Corporation solidly backed the project. The community rallied together to fund the project and on September 14, 1985, ground was broken.
On March 10,1988, the Ronald McDonald House of Lubbock opened to its first family. In 1996, 8 more bedrooms and an extended dining room were added to the House. Then, in 2004 the Ronald McDonald House of the Permian Basin joined with the Ronald McDonald House of Lubbock to become Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest. In 2026, the chapter adopted the modernized Ronald McDonald House brand and became Ronald McDonald House Southwest.
Since then, Ronald McDonald House Southwest has opened 4 Ronald McDonald House Family Room Programs at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa (2006), Covenant Children’s (2006), UMC (2006), and Midland Memorial Hospital (2022). We continue to grow and expand our programs to better serve families who have a child receiving medical care.
Our region
Although we serve families from across the country and around the world, our primary areas of service include Lubbock and the South Plains, the Permian Basin, the Big Country, the Concho Valley, and Southeastern New Mexico.
In 2024, the top 5 counties our overnight guests (those who stayed in our Ronald McDonald House or sleep rooms in our Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms) came from:
- Ector, TX
- Lea, NM
- Midland, TX
- Eddy, NM
- Gaines, TX
Donors
Make a lasting impact and bring joy to families by donating today to Ronald McDonald House Southwest.
Volunteers
Your time and compassion can make a world of difference for families staying with us.
Families
A place where families find support, rest, and a home away from home, just steps away from the hospital.
Our locations
Lubbock
Ronald McDonald House and administrative offices
Ronald McDonald House® Family Room: Covenant Children’s Hospital
Ronald McDonald House Family Room: University Medical Center
Permian Basin
Ronald McDonald House Family Room: Medical Center Hospital
Ronald McDonald House Family Room: Midland Memorial Hospital
400 Rosalind Redfern Grover Parkway, 4th floor
Midland, TX 79701
432.221.4010
