NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Aug. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced a donation of $100 million to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). This donation, the largest single gift in RMHC's history, will provide housing and family-centered services for pediatric patients and their families during hospital treatment across the United States.

Recognizing the unique needs of families with a hospitalized child, AbbVie's support will further enable Ronald McDonald House Charities to provide a welcoming place for families to stay along with the critical services they need. The donation will be used to build family-centered spaces and more than 600 new guest sleeping rooms in at least 26 states and at 32 Ronald McDonald Houses. This will allow for approximately 230,000 additional night stays for pediatric patients and their families each year, helping RMHC Chapters to meet increasing demand and serve more families.

"While RMHC serves millions of children and their families each year, we know that we only serve a small percentage of pediatric patients' families who need our services. This extraordinary gift from AbbVie will move us closer to meeting that unmet need," said Sheila Musolino, president and CEO, RMHC.

The donation was announced at the Ronald McDonald House Charities International Conference in Chicago, which runs Aug. 19-22. The Conference brings together close to 1,200 attendees from 64 countries and regions.

"Having a child with a serious illness is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can face," said Laura Schumacher, executive vice president, external affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary, AbbVie. "Our donation is grounded in the shared belief that families should have the necessary resources to care for a hospitalized child, along with the support to strengthen their well-being and resiliency during a challenging time."

Funding from AbbVie will also be used to enhance services that support each family's journey through care of their child, including meals, groceries, laundry services, parking, classrooms, playrooms and family-centered spaces and education initiatives.

The donation from AbbVie is part of a larger pledge to nonprofits that help children with serious illnesses and the people who care for them, a reflection of AbbVie's commitment to helping families across America thrive. This donation is part of AbbVie's commitment to make an additional $350 million in charitable donations to nonprofit partners in 2018, starting in May with AbbVie's announcement of $50 million donations each to Habitat for Humanity International and Direct Relief for disaster relief in Puerto Rico.

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), is a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation that creates, finds, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Through its global network of over 275 Chapters in more than 64 countries and regions, and its three core programs: the Ronald McDonald House, the Ronald McDonald Family Room and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, RMHC helps families with sick children stay together, and close to the medical care their child needs at leading hospitals worldwide. RMHC programs not only provide access to quality health care, they enable family-centered care ensuring families are fully supported and actively involved in their children's care. For more information, visit rmhc.org. Follow @RMHC on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE AbbVie