About Us

Getting Here

Mission Statement

The Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut is a "home away from home" primarily for families of children who are being treated at nearby hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

“Whatever you give away, you can never lose”

...says Don Wagner, a retired airline pilot who is a master woodcarver. Wagner donated a custom built rocking horse to the House this spring.

Wagner has built and donated rocking horses to several Ronald McDonald
Houses around the country, hoping to bring smiles to young patients. The only thing he enjoys more than making the horses is giving them away!
After retiring, Wagner turned to woodworking as a new outlet. “You shouldn’t retire from something; you should retire to something,” he comments. Wagner hopes to inspire other retirees to share their talents.

Four-year-old Finley Leach (right) enjoyed riding our new rocking horse before leaving for home in Seattle, Washington with her parents and seven-year-old brother, Thayer. Finley and her family stayed at the House this spring while she underwent a successful thyroidectomy at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut
501 George Street
New Haven CT 06511
(203) 777-5683