Credit Unions, DNCC, RNC Help Children’s Hospitals, Enrich Communities in Cleveland and Philadelphia

Credit Unions, DNCC, RNC Help Children’s Hospitals, Enrich Communities in Cleveland and Philadelphia

Projects with RealClearPolitics honors Democratic and Republican Conventions with service projects at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
 
Cleveland, Ohio (February 15, 2016) – The Credit Union National Association (CUNA), Republican National Convention (RNC), Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) and RealClearPolitics are connecting community service to the national conventions by providing indoor and outdoor garden spaces at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio and Karabots Pediatric Care Center, part of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania respectively.
 
In the months leading up to the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions, credit unions and RealClearPolitics will create new green spaces to foster a restorative patient environment for children at each hospital. The effort represents credit unions’ tradition of honoring each National Convention city with a “leave-behind” project that will continue to serve the local communities long after the conventions have left town.
 
At UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, a year-round horticultural therapy suite will engage young patients in gardening and plant-based activities facilitated by a trained therapist.
 
At CHOP’s Karabots Pediatric Care Center in Philadelphia, an outdoor Health and Wellness Garden will serve as a resource for vitally important patient and community engagement programs, including nutritional experiences, physical activity and a site to host events for patient programs, such as Reach Out and Read. Both projects will positively impact the hospitals and their surrounding communities, encouraging patients to become empowered caregivers.
 
“Credit unions exist to help people and that’s why we’re working with these hospitals in Cleveland and Philadelphia,” said Jim Nussle, president/CEO of CUNA. “Through community engagement, we’re working to ensure that children and their families have a comforting place to cultivate, learn, heal and reenergize during their stay at these great hospitals.”
 
“The Republican Party welcomes the opportunity to work with credit unions and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital to leave a lasting impact on these young patients, their families and the community at large for years to come,” said Jeff Larson, CEO of the Republican National Convention. “The cities that host these conventions do so much, and we’re proud to give back in any way possible – especially when it means helping improving the lives of our nation’s children.”
 
“Not only will hundreds of young patients at CHOP be able to utilize the outdoor space, the local community will benefit from the fresh foods and educational resources that will be made available,” said Rev. Leah Daughtry, CEO of the 2016 Democratic Convention. “We are pleased to join the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association and RealClearPolitics in this project that will impact Philadelphia in such a positive way. The garden will be a great asset to patients and their families from all across the region that will be sustainable for the future.”
 
“As the political world descends on Cleveland and Philadelphia, what a great initiative to bring credit unions and the two parties together for worthy causes,” said Carl Cannon of RealClearPolitics. “We’re honored to join CUNA, the RNC and DNCC in assisting these two children’s hospitals.
 
All costs for both projects are fully supported through funds raised by credit unions nationwide. The Ohio Credit Union League and Pennsylvania Credit Union Association, representing credit unions in the two states, are spearheading the fundraising efforts for UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and CHOP’s Karabots Pediatric Care Center, respectively.
 
Construction at the two hospitals will unfold over the spring and summer, and will include volunteer opportunities for credit union and convention staff to lend a personal hand. Plans call for ribbon-cutting events at each hospital to be held during the week of the Convention in each city in July 2016.
 
About CUNA: With its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) serves America's credit unions, which are owned by more than 100 million consumer members. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives providing affordable financial services to people from all walks of life. For more information about CUNA, visit www.cuna.org or follow @CUNA on Twitter. For more information about credit unions, visit www.aSmarterChoice.org and follow @asmarterchoice on Twitter.
 
About UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital: Internationally renowned, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is a full-service children’s hospital and pediatric academic medical center with experts in 16 medical divisions and 11 surgical specialties who offer nationally ranked care not available at other institutions in the region, including a center dedicated to adolescent and young adult cancer treatment and Northeast Ohio’s only single-site provider of advanced maternal fetal medicine and neonatology services. As the primary pediatric affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in the region, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital offers access to novel therapies, advanced technologies and clinical discoveries long before they are available nationwide. Rainbow pediatric specialists – all of whom also serve on the faculty at the School of Medicine – are engaged in today’s most advanced clinical research and are widely regarded as the best in the nation – and in some specialties, the best in the world. Learn more at Rainbow.org.
 
About The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children’s Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
 
About RealClearPolitics: RealClearPolitics is the trusted, non-partisan, convener in a content-rich media environment; thoughtfully curating the best coverage from every angle of the day's most critical issues. One of RCP’s most notable features – the RCP Poll Average – is the most cited source for U.S. political polling information. The RCP Poll Average provides a more accurate read on the status of the election. The accuracy of the RCP Poll Average is unmatched and trusted enough to be used in campaign communication documents, as well as being widely cited by hundreds of news organizations, including: The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, FOX News, CNN and USA Today. With a wide array of news and analysis available online, insiders rely on RealClearPolitics as the authoritative source for reporting, commentary, and analysis on all sides of the pressing public policy issues coming to the fore in 2016 - and the politics surrounding those issues heading into, and beyond, the election cycle.