Community Corner

Woman Who Opened 1st Ronald McDonald House Retires after 33 Years

Donna Young said she'd never heard of the Ronald McDonald House when she accepted the assignment to open Florida's first.

On June 28, the woman who opened the first Ronald McDonald House in the state of Florida will retire after 33 years of service to the organization.

Donna Young (and her husband Rich) raised three daughters while growing the Ronald McDonald House program in Tampa Bay from one house to four.

"There was no other Ronald McDonald House in Florida and I had never heard of it before. I  really didn't know what it was all about." said Young.

"I got the job just in time to oversee the completion of the West house
(located on Roser Park in St. Pete)," she said. "I've watched this organization grow from an 11-bedroom house with two staff to four houses with 21 staff."

Upon opening the first house in the state of Florida and number 17 in the country, Young was at the forefront of forging a new path as a nonprofit, while helping other Ronald McDonald Houses that came later. (There are now 332 Ronald McDonald Houses around the world) Her training as a registered nurse in pediatrics was beneficial as policies were developed and she learned how to work successfully with hospital staff.

Today, Tampa Bay has more houses than any other community in the world. There are 80 bedrooms offered each night to families with children receiving treatment in area hospitals, with three of those houses serving families at All Children's Hospital, and the fourth on Davis Islands serving families at Tampa General and St. Joseph's Children's hospitals.

Donna said she's seen lots of changes over the years.

"Family dynamics are much different today than when we welcomed our first families in 1980, and we encounter many new situations," she said. "We have now helped over 42,000 families and no two families are alike.

"We have great staff and close to 300 house volunteers now, plus many others who contribute their time through programs like dog therapy, arts  and crafts and the Housewarmers," said Young. "The budget was less than $100,000 when we opened and it's now $2.8 million."

The Youngs have raised three daughters while serving families at Ronald McDonald House. Their girls grew up playing with the children at the Ronald
McDonald House since they lived on the property.

About Ronald McDonald Charities of Tampa Bay

The Ronald McDonald House of Tampa Bay, with four houses, is a not-for profit organization now in its 33rd year of providing a safe and affordable "home-away-from-home" for families with children receiving medical treatment in Bay area hospitals.

These four houses have provided comfort and care to more than 42,000 families since opening in 1980. It is the cornerstone program of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay. For more information, visit www.rmhctampabay.com.


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