Building More Than Spaces:
What has sustained the partnership since then is not only Ryan House’s mission, but the way families, volunteers and community partners are welcomed into it. Terrell described the experience of visiting Ryan House as immediate and deeply human. “The second you walk in, you don’t feel out of place,” he said. “You feel like you are part of their family and you feel like you belong there.”
McCarthy’s Growing Partnership with Ryan House
When McCarthy Building Companies chose Ryan House as one of its Heart Hats® charitable partners, the decision was grounded in shared values, community impact and a desire to support Phoenix families meaningfully. What the team did not yet know was just how personal that choice would become. In May 2025, through its philanthropic community impact program, Heart Hats, McCarthy chose Ryan House as one of its Arizona charity partners for a three-year grant cycle through 2027. The partnership includes a minimum annual contribution of $25,000 each year, volunteer engagement from McCarthy’s more than 900 Arizona employee-owners and their families, and a commitment to support Ryan House in ways that extend beyond financial giving.
^ Pictured: Before, during, and after construction
For Mitch Terrell, senior communications manager and chair of McCarthy’s Southwest Regional Heart Hats Committee, Ryan House stood out early in the selection process. Early conversations with Tracy Leonard-Warner, executive director of Ryan House, and members of the Ryan House team reinforced that sense of alignment. “Ryan House was one of our finalists,” Terrell said. “Hearing about their mission, goals and values in conversation with Tracy very much aligned with who we are as a company.” “Hearing about their mission, goals and values ... very much aligned with who we are as a company.” That alignment mattered. As a company rooted in community, McCarthy was looking for an organization whose mission would resonate with its people and reflect its commitment to local families. Ryan House, with its compassionate care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families, was a natural fit.
That feeling has been evident throughout the partnership.
“That shared value and shared commitment, we felt since the first conversation we had with Tracy and the team,” Terrell said. “Any little thing that we’ve been able to contribute, some that have come out of left field, some that we’ve planned, it’s a no-brainer for us.” That spirit has shown up not only in McCarthy’s financial commitment, but in volunteerism and hands-on engagement. Through Heart Hats, McCarthy employees have supported Ryan House by cooking meals and participating in improvement projects throughout the house. That support extends well beyond funding.
“Our people and our culture and our Heart Hats committee are very passionate about, ‘What else can we do?’” he said.
That question helped lead to one of the partnership’s most meaningful recent projects, the renovation of two teen suites at Ryan House. As children with complex conditions are living longer into adolescence and young adulthood, Ryan House recognized the need for spaces designed specifically for teens. McCarthy responded by bringing in its Specialized Solutions Group and Heart Hats volunteers to create suites with superhero-themed décor and a comic book feel that include adaptive desks, gaming systems with adaptive controllers, and customizable LED lighting.
“Being able to provide unique spaces that are uplifting and allow them to take their mind off maybe what their day or week or month has been, I think it’s an opportunity to boost their spirits even in the slightest,” Terrell said. “At the end of the day, they’re kids.” For Ryan House, McCarthy’s support is felt not only in renovated rooms, volunteer hours and grant support, but also in the many ways the company continues to show up, including at signature events that help strengthen the community around Ryan House families. It is felt in the spirit of partnership behind that support, a sustained, generous commitment that continues to bring comfort, dignity and moments of belonging to the children and families Ryan House serves.
Then came a powerful affirmation. As the partnership was taking shape, McCarthy learned that an employee had a close family connection to Ryan House. McCarthy had not known about it when it first pursued the relationship. For Terrell, that discovery underscored how deeply Ryan House’s impact already reached into the community McCarthy calls its own. “We had already identified and selected Ryan House without that,” he said. “But it was just another small- world moment where we saw Ryan House and their impact had extended far beyond what we even knew at the time.”
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