Studies show that children heal faster and cope better when their families are near. Since 1982, seriously ill children and their families have found strength in numbers through the programs at Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Central Florida. The Ronald McDonald House provides a home-away-from-home for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost; because nothing else should matter when a family is focused on healing their child--not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. We believe that when a child is hospitalized, the love and support of family is as powerful as the strongest medicine prescribed. Just steps away from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at UF Health Shands Children's Hospital, the Ronald McDonald Family Room offers a place for families to rest and regroup right at the hospital, just moments away from their sick child. Comfortable chairs, a quiet room for naps, a quick snack, and a warm smile from the volunteer on duty makes the Family Room an oasis within the hustle and bustle of the hospital.