Supporting families’ wellbeing in their time of need.

Over the last 40+ years, RMHC Canada’s mission to support families with sick children has grown and evolved from bed & breakfast style accommodation to the family wellness centres found today.

RMHC across Canada provides a place for families with sick children to sleep, eat, restore, and receive the support of community. With a well-cared for family by their side, sick children get stronger. 

Today, RMHC is part of the fabric of Canada’s paediatric healthcare system and its network of 34 programs across the country serves more than 26,000 families from over 3,400 communities in an average year. More than a place to stay, RMHC provides support programming and wellness spaces within the RMHC House and RMHC Family Room programs to help ease the mental and emotional burden of caring for a sick child.

Research shows that 15% of RMHC families in Canada report at least one family member navigating a mental health challenge at the time of their stay at RMHC. To address the growing need for mental health and wellness support, RMHC programming has evolved over the years to include music therapy, art therapy, and pet therapy. Dedicated spaces have also been created at Ronald McDonald House programs across the country to support mental health and wellness such as community gardens, wellness rooms, and meditation spaces. 

With this evolution in programming, staff and volunteer training has been at an all-time high over the past year. Mental Health First Aid, Traits of an Inclusive Leader, The Construct of Race, and How to be an Ally are among the training sessions that have been conducted across the country to support and equip staff and volunteers to better support families. 

Mental health and wellness programming at RMHC wouldn’t be possible without the generous support and dedication of our National Mission Partners. Since 2014, RBC Foundation and RBC Insurance have generously supported the national implementation of the RBC & RMHC Canada Youth & Family Wellness Program, which has resulted in innovative mental health and well-being activities and programs for RMHC families, staff and volunteers. 

RBC’s support enables programs like PAWS at RMHC Toronto, music therapy at RMHC BC & Yukon, and so much more!

Make a donation to RMHC Canada today to help support families on their journey caring for a sick child.