LOMA LINDA, Calif. (December 2024) – The Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House® (IERMH) is pleased to announce a grant award of $200,000 from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians that will allow the House to continue providing temporary residence, comfort, care and support services to families who have critically ill children receiving vital medical care in the surrounding area. The program provides overnight housing near Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and other nearby medical facilities. The funds will support the mission of the House, which is to provide a home away from home for 53 families each night, giving them the ability to be within walking distance of their child receiving medical care.
“We are deeply grateful for the long-term support, partnership, and friendship with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Their generous contribution will allow us to continue our mission of providing temporary residence for families of seriously ill or injured children.” said Karen Hooper, Executive Director at the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House. “San Manuel has demonstrated a commitment to their community as well as a long history of protecting children, so our two organizations make the perfect partnership to serve families in need.”
This donation includes funding for our Family Support Services program. This comprehensive program offers compassionate emotional support for children, couples, and families during their stay at the IERMH helping to ease a family’s stress, provide needed resources, and interactive activities. Another area of impact includes our Meals of Loves, an IERMH program that allows community members to volunteer their time to prepare home-cooked meals for families as well as purchase standard grocery items, gas cards and other essentials for families to use while staying at the House.
The Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House is a tremendous resource for children and families seeking medical treatment nearby. San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has partnered with the IE Ronald McDonald House for 28 years. Their gifts have provided families needing this program and services with stability and the resources to meet their basic needs during challenging times.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians gives in the spirit of yawa’ – to act on one’s beliefs – and has contributed over $400 million to critical causes in the Inland Empire and across the Nation to support Native American communities in the last two decades.
The Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House, a program of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southern California, provides a bridge to quality health care and gives children and families the time they need to heal and cope together. At little to no cost, the program allows families to remain steps away from their sick child, helping to ease the impact of medical care while offering services and spaces that create a sense of normalcy as well as a supportive, encouraging, and comforting environment.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southern California
For 47 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California (RMHCSC) has been dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and families across Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Through its seven Ronald McDonald Houses® in Bakersfield, Loma Linda, Long Beach, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Orange, and Pasadena, three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms®, and Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, the Chapter helps families with critically ill children stay together while connecting them with others facing similar challenges.
About the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is a federally recognized Indian tribe located on the San Manuel Indian Reservation near Highland, California. San Manuel exercises its inherent sovereign right of self-governance and provides essential services for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services, and promoting social, economic, and cultural development. As the Indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, mountains, and high deserts, the Serrano people of San Manuel have called this area home since time immemorial and are committed to remaining a productive partner in the San Bernardino region. For more information, visit http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov.
