Nonprofit of the Year | Midsize: Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks Inc.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks Inc. has provided a place to stay for more than 16,800 families with ill or injured children visiting Springfield for medical care over the past four decades, and its Tooth Truck, introduced in 2002, has helped some 35,000 children with dental services valued at a collective $26.6 million, officials say.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks President and CEO Bonnie Keller says the international organization with more than 385 houses is the largest nonprofit of its type in the world. As Dr. Audrey Evans, co-founder of the national organization puts it, “a family with a sick child is a sick family.”

“The reason we do what we can do is just to try to soften the edges and try to help families that are going through what many describe as the most difficult time of their lives,” Keller says.

The local Ronald McDonald House chapter has houses at both CoxHealth and Mercy Hospital Springfield. The nonprofit has a $2.4 million operating budget, with 28 employees and well over 1,000 volunteers annually.

Keller says the COVID-19 pandemic was a difficult time for the nonprofit and its volunteers, as rules around interaction with patients became stricter. The local Ronald McDonald chapter required masking until March 2023, mirroring the policies of local hospitals.

“We prioritized staff mental health more than ever, as this long period of change and perseverance took a toll. Our board closely monitored and assisted, ensuring salaries and benefits were improved during a time when these line items were significantly increasing at businesses and organizations,” she says. “2025 feels like the first year we haven’t been primarily focused on recovering from the pandemic.”

Looking ahead, Keller says the organization is preparing for growth as Springfield develops into a larger hub for pediatric care.

“With Cox bringing St. Louis Children’s Hospital into the community and a facility right behind the Ronald McDonald House by Cox, we just look forward to being able to expand if needed and meet the need of those families,” she says. She points to Mercy’s partnership with Children’s Mercy in Kansas City as well. “For so many families ... it actually allows them to stay in the community for all their medical care.”

She adds that Mercy House, with its 10 bedrooms, remains full most of the time, and the chapter is “prepared to meet the future need.”

Keller believes Springfield will continue to grow as a children’s hospital hub, saying, “We have talked for years to make sure that we’re prepared to meet the need.”