How the Eagles, CHOP and the Shamrock Shake created the first Ronald McDonald House

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What do the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Eagles and McDonald’s Shamrock Shake have in common?

They helped to create the original Ronald McDonald House in 1974, the first in the world. 

“Philadelphia is the ‘City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection,’ and our mission at the Ronald McDonald House is to help families on their children’s medical journey with a community of comfort and hope,” said Laura Van Tassell, director of development for Ronald McDonald House Philadelphia. “That feels so connected in my mind. That comfort and hope and care that we can provide, that’s what family does.”

This Philly-born achievement is one of four being celebrated this month in the Philadelphia Historic District’s “52 Weeks of Firsts,” with a “Firstival” this Saturday in the front gardens and playground of the Ronald McDonald House in West Philly (3925 Chestnut St.).

The Firstival runs from 11 a.m till 1 p.m. and will include an account of the Ronald McDonald House creation by one of the Historic Philly’s Once Upon a Nation storytellers, as well as some current guest families speaking about its current impact. There will also be the week’s numeral 1 statue on display, painted by local artist Alana Sxmone.

The nonprofit program offers families a place to stay nearby to the hospital where their children are receiving treatment, providing a base for family-centered care that CHOP pediatric oncologist Dr. Audrey Evans had envisioned.   

“She really believed that a family with a sick child was a sick family … that you can’t just treat a diagnosis. You have to think of the patient and their whole family and their community and that will help in clinical outcomes,” Van Tassell said. 

Evans met Eagles general manager Jim Murray in 1974. He and the team were raising funds to help treat Birds tight end Fred Hill’s daughter Kim, who was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia five years earlier. 

After receiving a check for $125,000 to renovate the old CHOP location at 8th and Bainbridge, Evans convinced Murray and then-Eagles owner Leonard Tose to raise funds for a house where families could stay while their child was in hospital.

To help raise the money, Murray enlisted his local ad agency buddy Don Tuckerman to get McDonald’s on board. The fast food chain promised to donate the proceeds of their upcoming promotional menu item around St. Patrick’s Day, an obscure vanilla milkshake with green food coloring that had only been invented in 1970 (it was initially a lemon lime sherbert, and the minty flavor wasn’t added until 1983).

“Jimmy always said, ‘Green like money, green like our Eagles.’ It was destiny,” said Van Tassell.

In return for the Shamrock Shake proceeds the house would be named by McDonald’s. 

On Oct.15, 1974, in Philadelphia, Murray and Evans opened the first Ronald McDonald House near 40th and Spruce streets. 

Today, there are over 390 houses and 280 family room programs in over 60 countries around the world. Philly has two: the Chestnut Street House near CHOP and the Front & Erie House in North Philadelphia, close by St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Shriners Children’s Hospital.

“More than 1,500 families every year stay at our Ronald McDonald House here in Philadelphia and so many of those families would not be able to have the care that they receive if it were not for the Ronald McDonald House,” Van Tassell said. “Hotels can be extremely expensive. We know just the cost of living in general continues to rise. And that doesn’t go away when you have a child who needs medical care.”

Below is more info on all of this year’s Firstivals – including where you can find this upcoming Saturday’s Firstival dates and location. 

Completed

Week 1:  Successful balloon flight in America (1793)

Week 2: The Mummers parade, the nation’s first folk parade (1901)

Week 3: Volunteer fire company (1736)

Week 4: Professional basketball league (1898)

Week 5: Public Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)

Week 6: African Methodist Episcopal congregation (1794)

Week 7: Abolitionist society in America (1775)

Week 8: Authentic Chinese gate built in America (1984)

Week 9: Public protest against slavery in America (1688)

Week 10: Flower Show (1829)

Week 11: Women’s medical college (1850)

Week 12: Matchbook (1892)

Week 13: Medical school (1765)

Week 14: Stadium (1895)

Week 15: Circus performance (1793) 

Week 16: Botanical garden (1728)

Week 17: Postmaster (1737)

Week 18: American-made piano and sousaphone (1775 and 1893) 

Week 19: Mother’s Day (1908) 

Week 20: Hospital in America (1751)

Week 21: World’s Fair on American soil (1876) 

Week 22: Steamboat for passengers and freight (1787)

Week 23: American flag (1777)

Week 24: U.S. Army (1775)

Week 25: Annual Reminder demonstration (1965)
Week 26: Paper maker in America (1690)

Week 27: Bank of the United States (1791)
Week 28: Organized baseball team (1831)

Week 29: Ice cream soda (Oct. 1874) 

Week 30: American art school (1805) 

Week 31: Scientific Society of Natural History (1812)

Week 31: Zoo in America (1874)

Week 32: U.S. Mint (1793) 

Week 33: Selfie (1839)

Week 34: Slinky (1943) 

Week 35: Signing of the Constitution (1787) 

Week 36: Continental Congress (1774) 

Week 37: Naming of the United States (1776)

Upcoming

• Ronald McDonald House (1974)
Sept. 26, Ronald McDonald House, 3925 Chestnut St.

• Penitentiary in America (1829)
Oct. 3, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.

• The First Peoples
Oct. 10, Penn Museum, 3260 South St.

• U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (1775)
Oct. 17, Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St.

• Public showing of a motion picture (1870)
Oct. 24, Philadelphia Film Society, 1412 Chestnut St.

• Modern detective story written (1841)
Oct. 31, Edgar Allan Poe House, 532 N. 7th St.

• Thanksgiving Day parade in America (1920)
Nov. 7, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 S. Independence Mall East 

• University in America (1740)
Nov. 14, Houston Hall, The University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St.

• Children’s hospital in America (1855)
Nov. 21, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Main Building, 3401 Civic Center Blvd.

• Pencil with an attached eraser (1858)
Nov. 28, National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.

• Weather bureau (1870)
Dec. 5, The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St.

• Electronic computer (1945)
Dec. 12, The University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St.

• Public lending library in America (1731)
Dec. 19, The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.

• Philly food firsts: Cheesesteaks (1930s), water ice (1932) and bubble gum (1928)
Dec. 26, Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St.