Top Family Support Resources: Greenville, SC (KABOOM Awards Winners)

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping families together and close to the medical care their children need. Founded in 1989 in Greenville, South Carolina, the organization provides a comforting “home-away-from-home” for families whose children are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. By removing the burden of lodging costs, RMHC of the Carolinas allows families to focus on what matters most—their child’s health and well-being.

The Ronald McDonald House offers overnight accommodations, home-cooked meals, private bedrooms, shared kitchens, laundry facilities, play areas, and supportive communal spaces. Families are never turned away due to inability to pay, ensuring care and compassion are accessible to all. In addition to the House, the charity operates a Ronald McDonald Family Room within Prisma Health Children’s Hospital–Upstate, giving families a place to rest, recharge, and remain close to their hospitalized child.

Community support is central to the organization’s mission, with volunteers, donors, and corporate partners helping sustain its programs and services. RMHC of the Carolinas also fosters youth engagement through its Teen Leadership Board, which empowers high school students to develop leadership skills while supporting the charity through fundraising, service, and advocacy.

The Family Effect works tirelessly to reduce addiction as a leading cause of family collapse and harm to children in our area by supporting evidence-based programs at the Phoenix Center. These programs provide a safety net for our community’s most vulnerable children and preserve hope in families all over the Upstate.

The Family Effect and the Phoenix Center strengthen the family unit by focusing on the root cause of family collapse- addiction in the home. Outcome data indicates that families who participate in our services use less alcohol and other drugs after completion, they are more stably housed, work more consistently, and have fewer interactions with law enforcement.

The only way we can accomplish this, though, is by raising funds and recruiting volunteers for these effective, research-based programs. This goes to show that only when we come together to heal a family do we all get better. We would love to have you as part of our family!