CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte was the only major city without a Ronald McDonald House -- until now.
Officials broke ground Wednesday on the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte on East Morehead Street in Myers Park.
Once completed, the home will have 28 rooms for use by families with children at Levin Children's Hospital or Hemby Children's Hospital.
"On the land we stand today, a house will be built to serve families that come to Charlotte for medical care," said John Link with McDonald's.
NASCAR's Ray Evernham knows the importance of this home away from home. Seventeen years ago, his 1-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. Evernham was between jobs in New Jersey and didn't have the health care he needed.
"I had no means to take care of that child or stay in the city, and Ronald McDonald House was just two blocks away from Memorial Sloan Kettering. That's where my wife and my child and my mom, my family and I stayed for many nights for almost nothing," said Evernham.
Charlotte has raised $6.5 million over the past 12 months for construction of the house, which will be designed for care and comfort.
"And if you ask me, there's only one way to prove that Charlotte is a major city in America and that's by putting up this house right here," said Ronald McDonald.
For more information on the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, visit http://www.rmhofcharlotte.org/.
