The Pensacola Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Pensacola (LeaP) Class of 2014 will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for, and blessing of, the renovated playroom at The Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart on Tuesday, May 20, at 3:30 p.m. After eight months of planning, fundraising and construction, the class project, LeaPplay, has successfully transformed the play areas used by pediatric patients and their families.
The ceremony will take place at the hospital’s roof-top garden (alternate location in case of inclement weather to be the lobby of the Women’s & Children’s Center). An invitation-only open house will follow the ceremony in the new playroom.
“On behalf of the members of the LeaP Class of 2014, it has been a sincere pleasure to work with Sacred Heart and supporters throughout our community and beyond who believed in this project,” said Hal Dell, project coordinator for LeaPplay and vice president at Dell Consulting. “The new playroom is going to bring many smiles to children who are hospitalized. We designed it to be an engaging space where the patients can go to just be kids and their families can find a comforting environment away from the child’s hospital room.”
With more than $102,000 in cash contributions and more than $131,000 of in-kind donations, the LeaP class completely redesigned and reinstalled all of the playroom’s major components, from ceilings, floors and finishes to lighting and play structures. New wiring has been installed to support audio-visual equipment and creative lighting solutions. The new configuration of the room creates separate spaces for different age groups. It also allows for opening up the space for group functions and play experiences. The room is finished with bright, energetic colors, and natural daylight continues to be integral to the children’s play experience.
“Programs like LeaP are crucial to the continual development of our region and help prepare members of our community for future roles of even greater leadership,” said Pensacola Chamber Foundation Executive Director Jerry Maygarden. “We’re excited to know that LeaP continues to have an everlasting impact on Greater Pensacola and our visitors, and we look forward to the continued success of this year’s class.”
The Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart, which opened in 1969, is a 106-bed pediatric hospital that was created with the total needs of children in mind. The only children’s hospital in Northwest Florida, the facility serves more than 5,000 patients and their families each year from across the Panhandle and South Alabama. The hospital provides a wide range of services from trauma and neonatal intensive care to specialized services for children with chronic illnesses.
Project sponsors are listed below:
Circle of Compassion – $10,000 or more
Caldwell Associates
Comfort Systems
Cox Communications
Greenhut Construction
Circle of Healing – $5,000 or more
Baroco Electric
Centerline Associates
Dell Consulting
Escambia County Health Facilities Authority
Glaze Communications
Morette Company
Wilson Floor Covering
Circle of Joy – $2,500 or more
Animal Hospital of Pensacola
Anonymous
Appleyard Agency
Ascend Performance Materials
Christ’s Starfish Foundation
Craftsmen Specialist
Clark, Partington, Hart, Larry, Bond & Stackhouse
Gulf Power
Home Builders Association of West Florida
Kia AutoSport of Pensacola
Navy Federal Credit Union
Pensacola Glass
Pugh & Associates
Taylor, Warren & Weidner
Walgreens
Webb Electric
Circle of Hope – $1,000 or more
Advanced Enterprises of NW Florida
American Legion Post 340
Atkins Global
Avalex Technologies
Beggs & Lane, RLLP
Bill and Khari Dagnall
Bill and Terry Preston
Catalyst CRE
Centennial Bank
Coastal Vascular
Dogwood Park Baptist Church
Dr. William Blanchard – In Honor of Lucy Trawick
Evelyn Kluka
Evergreen Print & Mail
David and Melissa Lister
Gulf Coast Vision Center
Hancock Bank
HOPE Counseling Services
Innisfree Hotels
Jason and Amy Foland
Kasey and John Armbruster
Kenlyn Hobley Larry and Mary Lou Garrett – In Memory of Coach Chuck Pettersen “Papa”
LeaP Class of 2013
MMI Mechanical
Michael Parks
Paradise Homes/Paradise Inn, Bar & Grill
R. Jeffrey Boll
Raymond and Candy Ruddy
Regions Financial
Republic Services
Rodney, Rich & Company
SHHS Physical Plant
Sammy’s Management
Scott and Laurie Adams
Seville Rotary – In Memory of Beau Peterson
Sharhonda and Barry Owens
Society of the Debutante Charity Coalition
Specialty Contractors
Studer Group LLC
Waffle House
Warren Hollow Door
Whataburger
White Sands Resort Realty
For more information about LeaPplay, visit leapplay.org. LeaPplay is also on Facebook and Twitter.