September 02, 2026
Michele C. Haddon/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Ronald McDonald House, pictured on its 50th anniversary in October 2024, was established in Philadelphia in 1974.
In 1969, Fred Hill was coming off his best season with the Eagles and was on track to start at tight end before he injured his knee during the last preseason game.
After going home to Cherry Hill with a cast on his leg, Hill was faced with an even harsher reality — his 3-year-old daughter, Kim, had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Despite playing with the Eagles until 1971, Hill considered that moment "the end" of his football career.
"We kind of got sidetracked the last few years I played because Kim got chemo every single day," Hill said in a 2018 interview on the Eagles website. "Spinal taps and bone marrow tests and chemotherapy for three and a half years. You were more worried about your daughter than playing football."
Hill's medical journey with his daughter, who died in 2011 when she was 44, would become the impetus for the creation of the Ronald McDonald House.
After his retirement from professional football, Hill approached executives with the Eagles about hosting a local radiothon and fashion show for leukemia research. The team raised over $100,000.
Kim's physician directed leaders behind the Eagles' charity initiatives to Dr. Audrey Evans, chief of pediatric oncology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Evans was renowned for establishing the Evans Staging System that categorized types of neuroblastoma in patients as well as her work advocating for the importance of nursing and social work to caring for children with cancer.
Her dream was to purchase a site where the families of her patients could stay while their children received treatment.
"Dr. Evans was seeing families sleep in chairs, not take care of themselves, and cut their children's care short because they couldn't afford to be away from home to be in Philadelphia,"said Laura Van Tassell, director of development for the Ronald McDonald House. "She really dreamt of a place where families could stay while their children were receiving treatment, a place that could really support the entire family."
With the newly raised funds, Eagles General Manager Jim Murray sought some help from his advertising partners at McDonald's to raise money. Executives agreed to siphon the proceeds of its Shamrock Shake sales to the cause, as long as it was named after the fast-food chain.
In 1974, the first Ronald McDonald House opened at a seven-bedroom house at 4032 Spruce St.
"We wanted the people of Philadelphia, if they were going to donate something; we wanted them to be able to touch what they bought," Hill said.
A photo of Jim Murray and Dr. Audrey Evans, co-founders of the first Ronald McDonald House, is displayed in West Philadelphia's branch.
Over half a century later, the charity has expanded to nearly 400 houses around the world that provide social services, lodging and support for families of children undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals.
With the Eagles playing such a big part in the establishment of the first house, Van Tassell said the branch's 127-bedroom historic mansion at 3925 Chestnut Street has offered another service — converting its guests into Philly sports fans. The house has partnerships with all of the city's teams so there are sports-themed rooms and experiences for families and patients.
"I like to think we're sending out more families that are Philly sports fans than otherwise would exist," she said. "Imagine if the first professional baseball game you get to go to, you got to meet the Phanatic; or you go to a hockey game and ride on the Zamboni. … You’re going to have found a love for Philadelphia, a place that you called home."
Philadelphia's Ronald McDonald House is one of four firsts being celebrated this month as part of the Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee’s yearlong "52 Weeks of Firsts" program.
Every Saturday, a different person, invention or significant contribution with roots in the city is being honored with its own "Firstival" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each event includes family activities, giveaways, live music, entertainment and stories told by Once Upon A Nation actors.
The Ronald McDonald House will hold a firstival in the gardens of its West Philly site on Saturday, Sept. 26. Here are the other firsts being celebrated this month:
• First Signing of the Constitution (1787): A firstival celebration will be held commemorating the signature of the U.S. Constitution with a special appearance from a Benjamin Franklin impersonator, a live fife and drum performance and a free copy of the Constitution, while supplies last. The event will be held at the National Constitution Center at 525 Arch St. on Sept. 5.
• First Continental Congress (1774): The first meeting of delegates from 12 of the original colonies took place in Philadelphia two years before the establishment of the United States as a free and independent country. The firstival will be held in Carpenters' Hall at 320 Chestnut St. on Sept. 12.
• First Naming of the United States (1776): The name of the United States of America began to take shape through distinctly Philadelphia ventures like Benjamin Franklin's "Join, or Die" cartoons or Thomas Paine’s "Common Sense" book. A look at the history of the nation's name will take place at Independence Hall at 520 Chestnut St. on Sept. 19.
A full list of the 52 weeks of firsts can be found on Visit Philadelphia’s website.
