PHILADELPHIA—Volunteers from local credit unions and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) joined staff from the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) and RealClearPolitics in a “Volunteer Day” Wednesday to help build a Health and Wellness Garden at CHOP’s Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center.
Volunteers spent the day filling planting beds with gravel and soil, planting vegetables and trees, painting a chalkboard wall for patients and other projects, reported CUNA.
The Health and Wellness Garden is in honor of the 2016 Democratic National Convention. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place during the week of the convention, July 25-28, in Philadelphia.
As CUToday.info previously reported, the groundbreaking took place in May, and the volunteer day is the next step in helping transform the space into a vitally important resource for patient and community engagement programs, including nutritional experiences, physical activities and a site to host events for patient programs, such as Reach Out and Read, CUNA stated.
CUNA and RealClearPolitics are honoring the Democratic 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, CUNA stated. A similar project is being done for the children’s hospital in Cleveland, host of the Republican National Convention.
"The volunteer garden at the Karabots Center solidifies that CHOP is supporting the community from the ground up," said Linda Schnolis, member of the Karabots Family Advisory Council. "At CHOP, we say that hope lives here, but now with this garden, hope also grows here."
“The Health and Wellness Garden at our Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center will be a wonderful resource for patient families and community members alike,” said Madeline Bell, president and CEO of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “We’re grateful that the Democratic National Convention will give us an opportunity to showcase it to visitors from throughout the country, and we appreciate the ongoing support of the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association and our local credit unions in helping to bring projects like these to fruition.”
“Credit unions have been proudly conducting leave-behind projects in honor of the Democratic National Convention since 2000 to leave a lasting impression on communities like Philadelphia that have opened their doors to national nominating conventions,” said Trey Hawkins, CUNA vice president. “This meaningful work, bringing a health and wellness garden to a community in need, will continue to serve its purpose long after the convention leaves town.”
“Credit unions from this region and beyond have been strong supporters of the Children’s Miracle Network and CHOP,” stated Rick Wargo, EVP/general counsel of the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association. “It is great to see this wellness garden coming together and the Democratic National Convention shines the perfect spotlight on the great work that credit unions do cooperatively in their communities.”
The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association 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 Cleveland and RealClearPolitics also are working with the Republican National Convention on a companion project for a year round horticultural therapy suite at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, site of the 2016 Republican National Convention.