Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area Honors 18-Year Journey of Central Valley Family and Invites Community to Get Involved

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For more than 18 years, the Medina-Flores family of Sacramento has turned to Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area (RMHC Bay Area) for its array of critical family-centered services that have helped them navigate their son Alex’s complex medical journey. Born prematurely with a critical heart condition, Alex underwent his first open-heart surgery at just a few days old and has required specialized care at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford ever since.

“When your child is fighting for their life, the rest of the world doesn’t stop,” said Adina Flores, Alex’s mother. “There are bills to pay, jobs to manage—but for many families, it becomes impossible. We lost our home shortly after Alex was born. RMHC Bay Area has been our lifeline.”

Over the years, the family has benefited from a range of support services, including overnight stays at Ronald McDonald House Stanford near the hospital, its Day Pass Program, which offers amenities like laundry and meals, and special programs such as RMHC Bay Area’s summer camp for patients and siblings. Today, Alex is growing stronger after his transplant and is preparing to graduate with the high school Class of 2025 this May. As the Flores family adjusts to a new normal, they continue to draw strength from the RMHC Bay Area community that rallied around them. Their story represents the kind of long-term impact the nonprofit organization continues to make for families in medical crisis.

Now, RMHC Bay Area is inviting the community to support families who must travel long distances for life-saving pediatric care, to consider supporting its mission by getting involved or making a donation. Gifts of any size create a lasting impact and help the organization meet the growing demand for family housing, meals, and psychosocial support.

“Together, we can uplift families, transforming moments of despair into hope,” said Porsche Gordon, Vice President of Advancement at RMHC Bay Area. “The generosity of our community has already changed the lives of families like the Medina-Flores'. A gift to the Charity can ensure that future families have the same chance to stay by their child’s side and near the care their child needs.”

Since opening its doors 46 years ago, RMHC Bay Area has grown from a single House to a network of regional comprehensive, family-centered programs. This includes its award-winning Feed the Love in-hospital meal program, expanded services inside partner hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, and the establishment of the first Ronald McDonald House in Oakland: the Larry C. Tripplett Sr. Family Center, named after local McDonald’s owner-operator Larry Tripplett who made a legacy contribution.

To learn more about how you can make a difference, visit https://rmhcbayarea.org/help/

About Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area

Our mission at Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area (RMHC Bay Area) is to provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare. We offer no-cost housing, meals, and comprehensive psychosocial support services for families with children accessing care at the Bay Area’s leading children’s hospitals, including Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland. Additionally, in partnership with La Clinica de la Raza, our Chapter operates a Ronald McDonald Care Mobile that offers free oral health care services to vulnerable children in Contra Costa County. Core services and programs are delivered through our 123-bedroom Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, one of the world's largest pediatric housing facilities, a 7-bedroom Ronald McDonald House in Oakland, a new Ronald McDonald Family Room, and in-hospital programs in San Francisco and across the Bay Area. For more information, visit rmhcbayarea.org. Follow RMHC Bay Area on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.