In 1973, Philadelphia Eagles football player, Fred Hill, and his wife, Fran, learned that their daughter, Kim, had leukemia. While traveling into Philadelphia for treatment at the Children's Hospital, they met other families with sick children in the same situation. These families drove hours to the hospital to be with their children, only to sleep overnight in waiting room chairs and to eat from vending machines because they had nowhere else to go. “Not only does RMH give you a place to stay, food, and a bed to sleep in, it also gives you hope. And at times, hope is all you have.” --A Parent Fred Hill and his football team decided to do something for these families...build them a "home-away-from-home" in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Eagles teamed up with local McDonald's owner/operators to raise money to purchase and restore a house near the hospital where these families could stay. Hence, the first Ronald McDonald House was born. Since that time, more than 265 Houses have been built worldwide. The Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities opened on October 2, 1979, in an old rooming house that only accommodated eight families each night. A small group of parents, physicians, nurses and McDonald’s owner/operators located the property and raised the money to buy, renovate and operate the original House. Minneapolis/St. Paul provides a number of the world’s most advanced medical treatment hospitals for pediatric critical care. Families travel to the Twin Cities from across Minnesota, the United States and the world for their children to receive highly specialized care at our area hospitals. Due to the success of clinical research and specialized technology developed in the Twin Cities, the need for accommodations has continuously increased over the years. During the past 27 years, the original House has undergone three expansions, increasing the number of bedrooms each time. In 1982, House Two opened, adding ten additional rooms. In 1989, House Three opened, adding nine additional rooms. Then, in April 2002, House Four opened, allowing us to accommodate our current number of 48 families each night. Since the Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities opened its doors in 1979, over 5,000 families from all over the U.S. and the world have benefited from the services and hospitality provided by the volunteers and staff of our House.