A Promising Beginning

Today, the Ronald McDonald House is recognized around the world but that wasn’t the case in late ‘70s.  The first Ronald McDonald House had opened in Philadelphia in 1974 and they were just starting to pop up in cities around the country.

Dr. Vince Fulginiti, the Chair of the UA Department of Pediatrics, was aware of other Ronald McDonald Houses and wanted one in Tucson. Around the same time, Ron Michaels, who was a marketing consultant for McDonald’s, attended a presentation about the Ronald McDonald House, knew the McDonald’s business and that this would be good for Tucson. And so started the confluence of people and groups that worked together to launch the Ronald McDonald House.

Dr. Fulginiti asked Dr. John Hutter, a pediatric oncologist, to get involved.  He didn’t need any convincing.  

“We had a philosophy early on that treating our patients involved treating their families,” Dr. Hutter said. “I was a big believer that a Ronald McDonald House would be good for our patients and good for the community.”  He readily admits that he had no experience fundraising, but fortunately others did.

Support from the local McDonald’s owner/operators was a critical next step.

Roger Canchola, President and CEO of Arcos de Oro, remembers his dad, Jose’s, excitement about this project.  The Cancholas owned the McDonald’s restaurant in Nogales and Jose knew that the House would serve families from Santa Cruz County. 

“Once he got involved,” Roger said, “he encouraged the other owner/operators to pony up some money.  He was pretty good at that.”

They all knew they’d need community support to keep the House going.

Ron Michaels helped identify the right house – a white, rambling Spanish style home on Speedway built by John Murphy in the ’20s – and helped negotiate a deal with a low down payment.

Renovations began and as anyone who has ever remodeled an old house knows, there tend to be issues.  Local architects, electricians and contractors donated services to offset costs.  Furniture was donated by Lou Register. Dorothy Novak, Vice President of the Board, outfitted the kitchen and laundry room.  The young women of Alpha Delta Pi sorority washed windows.

And the House that Love Built opened for families on February 14, 1981. With five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room, dining room and library.  Over the years, the House was remodeled and expanded to help more families.  In 1991, a two-bedroom casita was added near University Medical Center for families of bone marrow transplant patients. In 1996, property adjacent to the House was purchased for administrative offices and a year later another renovation added more bedrooms and bathrooms.

Even with expansion over the years, by the early 2000s, hundreds of families were being turned away each year for lack of space. And once again the community rallied to raise more money to build the new House. With a $1 annual land lease from University Medical Center and a lead gift from Angel Charity for Children, the dream of a new House with 28 bedrooms, living room, dining room, a kitchen with views of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and indoor and outdoor play spaces for children was realized.

Since 2007, nearly 600 families call this House their home each year. And it all started with a like-minded group of people who poured their passion into making life easier for families with very sick children.