About Us

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of the Ozarks, Inc. (formerly Helping Parents Cope, Inc.) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families in the Ozarks. 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. Our two Ronald McDonald Houses have embraced more than 17,000 families during a time of unspeakable hardship, welcoming 713 families in 2023 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 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. The Tooth Truck is a joint project between RMHC of the Ozarks and the Tooth Truck, Inc. and through 2023, has provided 67,670 dental appointments for 32,360 children since July 8, 2002. This dental treatment is valued at $23,762,932. In 2023, the Tooth Truck completed the treatment plans of 1,765 kids with 2,865 appointments and $2,011,128 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, 13,396 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 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.