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The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of the Ozarks is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families in the Ozarks. We fulfill our mission through two core programs.

Our first core program is the Ronald McDonald House, where we provide a “home-away-from-home”, hope and comfort for families of seriously ill and injured children receiving medical treatment in Springfield, MO. Our two Ronald McDonald Houses have embraced more than 15,000 families during a time of unspeakable hardship. The first Ronald McDonald House opened near Cox South Hospital on March 20, 1988 and has 14 bedrooms. Our second House, with 10 bedrooms, opened on the 6th floor of Mercy Kids on November 30, 2012. When a child is sick, the entire family needs comfort and support. No family should have to deal with their child’s medical crisis alone. We believe when families are together they cope better. We believe in supporting families throughout their healthcare journey. We help families cope with the emotional and financial turmoil of a child’s life-threatening illness.  Thanks to generous donors, our families don’t have to worry where they will lay their head at night, where their next meal will come from, or how they can keep family together.

Our second core program is the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, fondly known as the “Tooth Truck. We provide dental treatment and prevention education for at risk children, primarily in school-based settings, completing the treatment plan of every child. Children qualifying for free and reduced school lunches receive free dental treatment on the Tooth Truck, regardless of Medicaid coverage. The Tooth Truck is a joint project between RMHC of the Ozarks and the Tooth Truck, Inc. and has helped nearly 30,400 children since July 8, 2002 with dental treatment valued at more than $21.4 million. To extend the preventive services of the Tooth Truck, the Healthy Smiles Academy was established in 2011 with one classroom participating. Since that time, nearly 13,000 children have benefited from this daily, onsite tooth-brushing program. (The Healthy Smiles Academy was temporarily suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19.)

In a spirit of service, we are deeply committed to our roles as “thoughtful stewards” of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks’ programs and resources. This level of commitment is our standard, and an ideal we all constantly strive for … as board members, staff, and volunteers.

Doctors take care of patients; we take care of families.