Parents of critically ill children have a multitude of issues to contend with and not having to worry about housing, transportation, and meals can be a major relief.
Soon the opening of a new Ronald McDonald House will help relieve those concerns for some parents whose children are receiving treatment at the Arthur M. Blank Hospital of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“We could not be more excited about it,” said Tracey Atwater, president and CEO of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities (ARMHC).
Located on N. Druid Hills Road on the Arthur M. Blank Hospital campus, the new 110-room house includes 92 guest rooms, 18 transplant suites, a five-story playscape, family kitchen, chef kitchen, indoor and outdoor dining room, garden, and more.
There are currently two other Atlanta Ronald McDonald Houses in metro Atlanta affiliated with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta—one on Scottish Rite’s campus on Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs and the other on Emory’s campus. Weeks after the new house opens in December, the Emory facility will be closed and sold, according to Atwater.
The residences are for families whose children are “well enough to be out of the hospital but can’t be too far away,” said Atwater. There are no charges for accommodation, meals, or other services at the house, however, some guests make a donation when checking out.
The houses, run by paid staff and volunteers, provide temporary residences for sick and injured children and their families who live more than 50 miles from the hospital. However, that mileage rule doesn’t apply to transplant patients who need to be within 15 miles of the hospital, according to Atwater.
Last year the houses served 3,500 families with an average of eight-night stays per family. However, one family stayed nearly a year, which saved them $160,000 in travel expenses, according to Atwater. Families whose children are diagnosed with hematology and oncology issues are among the most common conditions of those staying at the houses, she said.
Initially, the plan was to only complete Phase 1—70 rooms—before beginning additional rooms in Phase 2. But according to Atwater, demand for temporary hospital housing surged 50 percent in a two-year period, so officials decided to do both phases at once.
Work began on the facility in January 2024.
Atwater said they are $4 million shy of meeting their $90 million public capital campaign goal for the construction, program expansion and facility fund of the new house.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Dec. 9.
ARMHC has teamed up with BMW for the 18th annual raffle to support the families at Atlanta Ronald McDonald Houses.
Over the past 18 years, the BMW Raffle has raised $2.89 million for the houses, according to a news release.
The 2025 BMW Raffle prizes feature:
• Grand prize: Choice of a 2026 BMW X2 xDrive28i, a 2026 BMW i5 eDrive40, or a 2026 BMW i4 eDrive40.
• Second prize: The BMW 101 Experience, including a week-long test drive in a BMW model of your choice, hotel and meals as well as a driving session and tour of the BMW Manufacturing plant and Zentrum museum
• Third prize: Two tickets to ARMHC’s Handbag Hullabaloo fundraiser, featuring a cocktail reception, dinner and six rounds to win designer handbags.
Tickets are $100. Only 3,000 tickets are available and can be purchased now through Nov. 6, at 7:59 p.m. Eastern Time. To buy tickets and enter the raffle, visit winabmw.com.
For more information on the new house, go to ronaldmcdonaldhouseatl.org/.