by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

One thing that I have prided myself in is knowledge about Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.  Besides the facts that I work here and I’m a dork, it is information that I use on a fairly regular basis.  Why do I use this knowledge (other than winning at obscure trivia)?  Tours.

It is surprising the number of tours that I have given during my time at Le Bonheur Children’s.  It has led me to collect nuggets of information about most areas of the hospital.  Additionally, with the exception of a few square feet here and there, I have been everywhere in this building, including the roof.  Needless to say, I’ve developed a fantastic tour, and can spend all day telling you about Le Bonheur Children’s.

Here’s the funny thing about moving into a new building: there are no “tour guides” for it.  Sure, we’ve done construction tours, but most people will be interested in the finished product.  Have no fear because we have a plan: ambassador training.

Ambassador training is a process put in place to train approximately 100 ambassadors (translation: tour guides).  What is more amazing is that ever a tour guide… err… ambassador will have the exact same knowledge and experience.  This means that regardless of who leads the tour, everyone will hear the same information.  Trust me, this is no small feat.

Additionally, the ambassadors will be the group giving tours to the community, as we get closer to the grand opening and move in date.  We know that people are interested in getting a look at the new hospital, and we want to accommodate with tours.  When I have more information on the specific dates of public tours, I’ll be sure to post it.

Today I will be in my ambassador training, and I’ll see if there are any interesting tidbits that I can share.  So, I’ll take lots of notes and pictures and report back tomorrow.  Consider me your inside source from Le Bonheur Children’s Ambassador Corps.

Don’t worry that I’m blogging during it, I do have my tricks…