Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks

Our first priority is to provide a comfortable home environment for families when their seriously-ill or injured child is in a hospital far from home. In 1988, our cornerstone project, the Ronald McDonald House near Cox South opened and a second House was added inside Mercy Kids 2012. More than 800 families come to our two Springfield Ronald McDonald Houses each year and find love, care, compassion and hope as their child faces challenges no child should face. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, fondly known as the "Tooth Truck", was founded and began treating patients in 2002. The Tooth Truck provides dental treatment and prevention education for at-risk children, primarily in school-based settings. As an extension of the Tooth Truck, the Healthy Smiles Academy began in 2011 and is an on-site brushing program that partners with local school districts to teach pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students the importance of brushing their teeth.