As it celebrates its 40th year of providing family support, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois (RMHC-EIWI) is expanding its reach into the Quad Cities to heighten awareness of its work.
The nonprofit organization, based in Iowa City, Iowa, provides services that directly improve the health and well-being of children while offering a community of comfort and support to their families as they seek medical care for their children. In 2025, RMHC-EIWI celebrates its 40th anniversary.
The organization supports the 31-room Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City, as well as food pantries and family rooms at UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City and UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids.
While RMHC-EIWI offers services to families from around the world, the organization has deep-rooted connections to the Quad Cities. The charity provides support for about 70 area families per year – about 15% of the total number of families it serves.
In addition, RMHC-EIWI’s 17-member board of directors includes five who call the Quad Cities home. They are: Dennis Gendron, LeClaire, RMHC-EIWI treasurer; and directors Ian Russell, Kevin Murphy, and Keenan Hutcheson, all of Bettendorf; and Jim von Maur of Davenport. The local board members, the organization said, come from diverse backgrounds, including those with experience in business, law, and philanthropy.
Von Maur’s donated $1M
In 2023, the von Maur family – owners of the department store chain that bears their name – pledged $1 million to the charity. The gift was made in memory of the family’s matriarch, Susan von Maur, of Davenport, who passed away in May that year at age 86.
The Quad Cities also played host to one of the organization’s most successful fundraising events in 2024. In September, supporters attended an event at Bettendorf’s Iron Tee Golf marking the first RMHC-EIWI fundraiser held in the QC in recent years. The event now will be held annually and this year’s is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16.
For more information about RMHC-EIWI and how you can support its mission, visit here.
