CREDIT UNIONS, SUPPORTING GROUPS HOST “VOLUNTEER DAY” TO WORK ON HORTICULTURAL THERAPY SUITE FOR
UH RAINBOW BABIES & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Volunteers from Local Credit Unions, RealClearPolitics, the 2016 Republican National Convention, and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Lend a Hand to Work On a Therapeutic Horticultural Therapy Suite in Angie’s Garden
Cleveland, Ohio –Volunteers from local credit unions and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital joined staff from the 2016 Republican National Convention and RealClearPolitics in a “Volunteer Day” to work on the horticultural therapy suite in Angie’s Garden at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. The volunteers spent Monday planting, working on glass mosaic tiles, and horticultural therapy projects.
The new horticultural therapy suite is an enhancement of Angie’s Garden at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. Angie’s Garden is part of the Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Center.
The horticultural therapy suite project is in honor of the 2016 Republican National Convention. A ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will mark the end of the construction and the opening of the horticultural therapy suite, will take place during the week of the Republican National Convention, July 18-21, in Cleveland.
The construction kick-off was last month and the volunteer day is the next step in helping to transform the space into a horticultural therapy suite in Angie’s Garden. New equipment and activity centers in the suite will help the staff at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital address the special needs of hospitalized children and their families.
The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and RealClearPolitics are honoring the Republican National Convention by taking on the project. The effort represents a tradition of credit unions honoring cities that host the national party conventions with “leave-behind” projects which serve the local communities long after the conventions have left town. A similar project is being done for the children’s hospital in Philadelphia, host of the Democratic National Convention.
“Volunteers are essential in making this horticultural therapy suite come to life,” said Patti DePompei, RN, President of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. “So many children hospitalized here appreciate being able to come to Angie’s Garden for fresh air, and with this wonderful enhancement of the existing space, children can now enjoy planting seeds, potting plants, doing arts and crafts – and generally taking a break from being in the hospital.”
“We’re delighted to have been doing these projects at the National Party Conventions since 2000,” said Richard Gose, Chief Political Officer at CUNA. “It’s an honor to be able to work with both the local credit unions, RealClearPolitics and the Republican National Convention on such a meaningful and lasting endeavor.”
“We want to leave Cleveland a better place when we leave in July and we’re proud of this project with the credit unions and UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital to give back,” said Steve King, Chairman of the Republican National Convention. “This is such a good cause to give back to these young patients and their families and our volunteers are so thrilled to have helped make it happen.”
“Thanks to the credit unions and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s we’ve had an opportunity to participate in something uplifting and important leading up to this year’s Republican National Convention,” said RealClearPolitics co-founder and publisher Tom Bevan. "It’s an honor to be a part of this continued partnership.”
“This is a great opportunity to create an enduring example of how credit unions impact the lives of their members and their communities. With the help and support of many across the credit union movement, I’m proud that Ohio’s credit unions will sprout a therapy retreat for the children throughout Ohio cared for at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital,” said Paul Mercer, president/CEO of the Ohio Credit Union League.
Ohio Credit Union League is spearheading fundraising by the credit unions. They have already raised more than their target goal of $300,000, the amount needed to cover the costs of the project.
CUNA, credit unions in Pennsylvania and RealClearPolitics also are working with the Democratic National Convention Committee on a companion project for a wellness garden at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The Volunteer Day for that project will take place in June.
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About UH Rainbow Babies & 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 Northeast Ohio’s only single-site provider of advanced maternal fetal medicine and neonatology services, and the Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Center dedicated to adolescent and young adult cancer treatment. 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 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 Ohio Credit Union League: The Ohio Credit Union League, with offices in Columbus, is a state trade association representing 315 credit unions. Credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions owned and democratically-controlled by their members. Ohio credit unions provide savings, loans, and other consumer financial services to 2.82 million members. To learn more, visit www.aSmarterChoice.org.
ABOUT THE 2016 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: The 2016 Republican National Convention will be held at the Quicken Loans Arena from July 18-21, 2016. Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Cleveland area for the event, including delegates, alternate delegates, members of the media and other guests. For more information about the 2016 Republican National Convention, please visit our website at www.convention.gop
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.
