Ronald McDonald House needs friends

The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte wants to be your friend – on Facebook and Twitter.

The non-profit is ramping up its social media campaign to educate volunteers and donors, and raise more money. The organization is trying to recruit 1,000 fans and followers by December 31. Signing up 1,000 people on Facebook allows the organization to get the web address www.facebook.com/rmhofcharlotte.

The Charlotte location is scheduled to open in 2010 on East Morehead Street. Groundbreaking is scheduled to begin in the next three months. The Charlotte location will serve families of children being treated at Carolinas Medical Center's Levine Children's Hospital and Presbyterian Healthcare's Hemby Children's Hospital. It will have about 30 bedrooms, a family kitchen, great room, learning center, playground and porch.

Ari Harris, community outreach director for RMH of Charlotte, said Facebook and Twitter make it easier to tell volunteers and donors about the house's progress and upcoming activities.

"This way we are able to very quickly and very effectively keep up with how the house is going," she said.

They currently have 198 Facebook friends and 16 Twitter followers. The Facebook page features photos from the organization's recent fundraiser, a tennis tournament at Blakeney Racquet Club.