The first Ronald McDonald Family Room opened in 1992 in Kansas City, Kansas. Today, there are nearly 160 Family Rooms in 17 countries: the United States, Taiwan, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. In 1999, a group of parents, doctors and McDonald's owners-operators Kathleen and David Sparks met to establish a Ronald McDonald facility in South Bend, Indiana. After much research and careful consideration, the group decided to build a Family Room at Memorial Hospital.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room at Memorial is a safe oasis for families of seriously ill children. Families draw support from each other, and from the caring volunteers who help them through a truly difficult time in their lives.

In the Ronald McDonald Family Room, families can relax, take a quiet moment and a deep breath in a warm and comfortable environment that the medical world does not enter.

Our Family Room is approximately 1,500 square feet with three sleeping rooms, two baths with showers, a laundry room, a fully equipped kitchen, a library and, of course, a family room with Internet access to keep in touch with friends and love ones.