The Mission of Ronald McDonald House Ozarks
Ronald McDonald House Ozarks provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need healthcare. Our first key 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. Our two Ronald McDonald Houses have embraced more than 17,000 families during a time of unspeakable hardship, welcoming 775 families in 2025 alone. The first Ronald McDonald House opened near Cox South Hospital on March 20, 1988. Our second House opened on the 6th floor of Mercy Kids on November 30, 2012. We can help up to 24 families on any given night.
Our second key program is the Ronald McDonald House Care Mobile, fondly known as the “Tooth Truck”. We provide dental treatment and prevention education for at-risk children, primarily in school-based settings. The Tooth Truck is a joint project between Ronald McDonald House Ozarks and the Tooth Truck, Inc. and has provided 75,000 dental appointments for 37,000 children since July 8, 2002. This dental treatment is valued at $29.2 million. In 2025, the Tooth Truck completed the treatment plans of 1,653 kids with 2,575 appointments and over $2 million in services. 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 15,000 children have benefited from this daily, onsite tooth-brushing program. The program was suspended from April 2020-August 2023 due to COVID-19 and was reintroduced in the Fall of 2023.
In a spirit of service, we are deeply committed to our roles as thoughtful stewards of Ronald McDonald House 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.
