MORGANTOWN – For more than three decades, Ronald McDonald House Morgantown has been a refuge for families facing the life-altering uncertainty of childhood illness and injury.
The facility briefly paused that critical mission Thursday morning to celebrate 35 years of care as well as a recent expansion that’s grown its already significant impact.
Eleanor Reigel, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Pittsburgh and Morgantown, opened the proceedings, standing in bright sunshine before a crowd of supporters, staff, and current and former board members.
“Over the years, the Morgantown house has welcomed thousands of families from West Virginia and all over the country and world. We are so pleased to be a part of the family’s support as they navigate their child’s medical journey. You are all here today because you have played, and will continue to play, a special role in the success of the charity,” Reigel said. “Success has been shaped guest by guest, volunteer by volunteer and partner by partner.”
And brick by brick.
A major focus of the gathering was recognition of the completed expansion of the facility thanks in large part to a $2 million gift from CONSOL Energy, now Core Natural Resources.
That project, made necessary by the development of WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 7, 2022.
All told, it grew the building’s footprint by 7,000 square feet and added 11 new family bedrooms and bathrooms. Ronald McDonald House Morgantown can now accommodate 27 families per night, which equates to more than 4,000 nightly stays annually.
The upgrades also included the addition of an elevator, a redesigned entrance and lobby and specialty program spaces.
Ronald McDonald House Pittsburgh and Morgantown Board Chair Sheliah Heckla said the project was important and necessary – but not always easy.
“We launched the campaign in February of 2020, and then COVID. Forced to regroup and adjust our timeline due to the global pandemic, the board’s commitment never wavered. We persevered, we continued to make our case and we kept engaging our partners in this mighty, mighty task,” she said. “And to stand here today, seeing the house complete, I’m nearly speechless.”
Morgantown Mayor Danielle Trumble concluded Thursday’s remarks with a proclamation written on behalf of the city and Morgantown City Council.
Following an official ribbon cutting a tour of the facility was provided.
Ronald McDonald House Morgantown opened on Oct. 9, 1990. It merged with Ronald McDonald House Pittsburgh in 2018, creating two houses with one mission – keeping families who must travel to the Pittsburgh and Morgantown areas together and near the pediatric medical care they need.
