by Jenny Shelton
Child Life Manager

Fall is an exciting time of the year for families with the many fall carnivals, hayrides, pumpkin patches, and trunk-or-treats in the area.  That same excitement can be felt in the halls of Le Bonheur during the month of October.  We try to bring some of the same events that children and families would be doing in the community into the walls of the hospital.  In the past week, we have partied with Fred’s Corporation, played carnival games, dressed up in our favorite costumes, and received treats during the reverse treat-or-treat (representatives from various units of the hospital go to each child’s room).  We love fall here at Le Bonheur and thought it would be fun to share some of our week with you.  Enjoy! 

by Cassie Gorman
Child Life Specialist

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

It seems like every time Spring rolls around, high school students begin to think about going to the prom. Thanks the Le Bonheur's Teen Advisory Council, you can even go to the prom while you're at the hospital. Trust me, it's the event of the year.

For the past four years, the Teen Advisory Council has hosted the Wacky Tacky Prom. They collect "festive party attire" and scour for the perfect decorations. The end result is a party that no one wants to miss, and some of the best dancing you'll see in any children's hospital.

Why a wacky tacky prom? The answer is simple; how many people bring the right prom clothes to the hospital? So instead, they get to select from a wide variety of dress up clothes, while trying to make the tackiest or wackiest outfit they can think of.

Oh, and just like anyone else that goes to the prom, we can't wait to show off our pictures. We hope you enjoy them.

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

Today was an extremely exciting day at Le Bonheur. Along with all of the typical hospital events were occurring, there was something different. We had Memphis’ mayor, A.C. Wharton, deliver his State of the City address at the hospital.

There are a few amazing things about this. The first is that this is the first State of the City address that has been done in a public forum. It demonstrates the openness and welcoming of the community to the mayor’s office. We here at Le Bonheur are honored that Mayor Wharton chose the hospital as the site for his speech.

So, this morning, Le Bonheur was filled with patients, families, staff, elected officials, leaders of the business, and many others. In the lobby of the hospital this group came together to hear the mayor’s speech. The turn out was so great that the lobby, cafeteria seating area, and spaces around the rotunda were full.

Mayor Wharton’s message was one of hope and togetherness for the city. It rang through that we, as Memphians, can (and have) accomplish so much, and it is done through working together to create an even brighter future for the city. It showcased many of the wonderful points and stories of the city. The speech was filled with pride and love for Memphis.

One of my favorite quotes from the speech was talking about the outpouring community support in building of the new Le Bonheur:

We did not set out to raise one hundred million dollars to build this new hospital in the middle of a recession because we thought it would be easy or quick. We did it because when Memphis sees a need, we rise to the challenge.

I’d like to thank Mayor Wharton and his staff for choosing Le Bonheur as the site for the speech. It was a pleasure to play host to such a wonderful event. It reminds us that Le Bonheur is here for the community, and the community is here for Le Bonheur. It takes all of us to make this city great, and I believe that we can do it.

by Jenny Shelton
Child Life Manager

If you have children around you during the holiday season it is hard not to catch the Christmas spirit.  The same can be said here at Le Bonheur.  Even though this is not the ideal place to be on Christmas Day, there is still the sense of anticipation that Santa will deliver presents where ever a child is…home or the hospital. 

For the past few years the Child Life Department has asked for help from the community to fill Christmas bags for children that will be here Christmas Day.  Our community has graciously allowing us to help Santa make his special delivers to the children at Le Bonheur.  We are very thankful to all who have contributed past and present in this project.

Putting the bags together can be a tedious process, but it is all done for the children.   The bags are divided into age groups from infants to adolescents and appropriate items are selected to be included in the bags.  Several days before Christmas Eve, child life staff and some additional elves come together to help pack the bags for each age group.  From doing Christmas bags for several years we have a rough estimate of how many bags will be needed in each age group (we do about 100 infant bags each year).  After the bags have been prepared, we start watching the census numbers and on Christmas Eve morning we get a final count to be delivered to each unit.  Several members of the child life staff help distribute bags on Christmas Eve afternoon and the nursing night shift on each unit makes sure each child gets their specific bag.  So if you are ever asked if Santa comes to Le Bonheur you can say…yes he does!

We would like to wish all of our blog readers a very Happy Holiday season!

by Jenny Shelton
Child Life Manager

This is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the warm days and cool evenings, football games, bonfires with s’mores, and the leaves changing into beautiful colors.  This month is full of opportunities to have fun as a family.  I have noticed while driving around town the many signs for fall festivals and trunk-or-treats.  It is truly a fun time of the year for young and old alike!

At Le Bonheur, we try to make this time of year fun for the whole family even if they are in the hospital.  There have been many community visitors that have come into the hospital to spread some fall cheer.  This week is no exception!  Since we have many children who will be spending Halloween with us, we try our best to make it the best Halloween ever. 

Starting Thursday, the child life team turned the auditorium into a costume shop and patients and families came to pick out their favorite outfit.  That evening FRED’s Corporation hosted their annual Halloween Party and it was an evening filled with games, prizes, and treats.  Friday, is the most exciting day this week.   We are starting the day with reverse trick-or-treating (departments go to the patient’s room instead of children roaming the halls to various departments) and in the afternoon Harvest Festival will have the ground floor of Le Bonheur turned into one of the best carnivals in town.  Everyone gets into the spirit by dressing up (check out the pictures…can you guess who I am dressed up as?) and bringing treats to brighten the day for a children and families at the hospital this Halloween weekend!  Happy trick-or-treating to you and your family…we will be doing the same here at Le Bonheur. 

by Tracey Deaux
Child Life Specialist

Your late, you’re late, for a very important date.  The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party was a smashing good time on 10/6/2010 with events becoming curiouser and curiouser by the minute.  Mad Hatter’s Day has been a beloved Le Bonheur tradition for years.

If you are not familiar with Mad Hatter’s Day, it is a holiday that dates back to 1986 and is celebrated to honor the mad hatter, a fictional character in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland who is always acting silly.  So, on Mad Hatter’s Day it is only fair and fitting to act a little silly yourself.  You may have noticed the mad hatter wearing a top hat showing the 10/6 card on the front.  It is believed the “10/6” means 10 shillings and six pence, or the price of a hat in British money.  Now, every year on 10/6 or October 6th, we celebrate Mad Hatter’s day hospital wide.

Patients, families, and staff wear their best hat attire all day to celebrate this great tradition.  At the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, patients and families were provided supplies to decorate their very own “mad” hats.  While wearing your decorated “mad hat”, you could enjoy some other activities like Alice’s Appetizers with drink to shrink punch and cookies to grow, a memory game of characters from the hit film, a “sweeten your tea” basketball game, and flamingo croquet.  Also, in defiance to the queens orders, patients painted the roses red.

What a wonderful day this was!  It is nice to sometimes just be “all mad here.”

Captain’s Log: Avast, ye scurvy dogs, did ye be figuring that we’d miss the chance to clear the decks for pleasant action? Never think it, because it be time again for the ruckus of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.  The crew and yer ol’ Captain have realize that a pirate’s life is the only life for a man of any spirit.  Below, ye be seeing the recount of one the crewmen.  So, until next year, good luck to you and a fair wind.

by Tracey Deaux
Child Life Specialist

Arrrgh, matey!  Shiver me timbers, for today is the day for ye to talk like a pirate.

And what a day it was.  Our Child Life staff celebrates Talk Like a Pirate day once a year.  It’s just a shame this event can’t be held more.  On this momentous occasion, patients and families as well as the entire hospital staff have the excuse to let loose, play some great games, and enjoy all the privileges that come with being a pirate. 

This year was no different.  We started things off with a pirate scavenger hunt all throughout the hospital.  Patients and their families were given clues and made their way through specific stops.  It takes a master pirate to figure out these clues.  One clue went something like this: “We’ll make ye walk the plank, if ye have all the smarts. Go south on the 5th floor, where there’s the most unique art.”  The last clue led the families to the final destination—the Talk Like a Pirate party where food, games, and prizes were provided.

At the party, there was pirate treasure box cake, pirate punch, and “create your own pirate trail mix.” There were plenty of games to work off that sweet pirate tooth.  “Walk the Plank Pirate Trivia,” Parrot bowling, “Create your own eye patch,” a multitude of coloring activities and prizes were given out along the way.  The patients seemed to really enjoy taking their minds off the hospital for a little bit and just being “kids.”  Seeing these kids smile from ear to ear is what makes this day so special.

What a great festivity this was.  I already can’t wait for next year’s Talk Like a Pirate day.  As a pirate would say, “Farewell, matey, and happy sailing.”

Editor's Note: On Friday, June 25, 2010, we wrote about the recent Dreamnight at the Zoo, hosted by the Memphis Zoo.  We invited, Sandi Shoemaker, the chairperson for the Memphis Zoo's Dreamnight Committee, to write up a post about the event.

by Sandi Shoemaker
Dreamnight Committee Chairperson
Memphis Zoo

The Memphis Zoo is a wonderful place to have a party, but few events generate as much excitement in the staff as Dreamnight at the Zoo. The Memphis Zoo is proud to be one of over 200 zoos worldwide to host Dreamnight, an event in which zoos open their gates to children with catastrophic illness or disabilities to have a fun-filled, free night with their families.

This year we hosted 528 children and their families from Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Special Olympics. The Zoo staff love the dance parties and watching the children dancing with our mascots, Bamboo the Panda and Timber the Wolf. Everyone always enjoys all the fun activities like the King Cotton hot dog cookout, the games, the keeper chats, the chalk drawings and karaoke, but most of all, we LOVE hanging out with the children.

Although the weather was hot, the Nile River and the Old Faithful fountain were cool and talented children were busy catching magnetic fish in the reflecting pool, designing fantasy animals in the craft room, posing for family photos as well as learning what a gorilla eats and how zoo veterinarians examine a cranky lion (you can’t just ask him to say “awwwww”).
It means so much to all of us at the Zoo to be a part of families laughing and playing together for the past five years, and we could not host such an special event without the support of our sponsors King Cotton, Pepsi, Toof, Dingo Entertainment, and of course, the Memphis Zoo.

We are already looking forward to opening our gates for many more children with special medical needs and their families to enjoy and evening with our animals at the Zoo next June. 
If you’d like more information on Dreamnight, please visit the official website at www.dreamnightatthezoo.nl. 

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

One the aspects of my job that I love is getting to see all of the wonderful committee organizations that do things to support the patients and families at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.  I mention this because one of my favorite events hosted by an Memphis organization happened earlier this month.

Over the past several years, the Memphis Zoo has hosted Dreamnight at the Zoo.  This event is geared towards patients and families of Le Bonheur Children’s.  The Zoo opens on the invited families, and that’s where the fun just begins. 

Typically, several hundred people attend the event.  Now, if you’ve ever spent time at the Memphis Zoo, you know that several hundred people being there is like having the Zoo to yourself.  This is one of the biggest draws for our families. 

If the family has their child(ren) and medical equipment (i.e. wheelchairs, ventilators, and others), it makes it far easier to maneuver around.  In past years, I had a mother tell me it was one of her family’s best experiences because they didn’t have to worry about knocking people down with everything.

Next, there are zookeepers everywhere you turn that are more than happy to explain the Zoo.  It’s like having a private tour with star treatment.  You come away from the evening knowing more about the animals than you ever thought you would.

The fun doesn’t stop there.  Dreamnight as has lots of fun activities.  Want to dance?  There’s a dance floor.  Want a photo to remember the evening?  There are two mascots to help make it memorable.  Hungry?  Don’t worry dinner is provided.

The Memphis Zoo goes out of their way to provide a magical evening for children and their families.  I cannot thank them enough for doing it.  However, I would be willing to guess that all they have to do is look at the smiles and listen to the laughs to know the impact Dreamnight at the Zoo makes.

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

As our week long celebration of the Grand Opening of Le Bonheur Children's begins to wind down, I thought I would share one more surprise with you.  One Tuesday, we had several celebrities meet all in one area.  Roscoe Orman and Sonia Manzano, who play Gordon and Maria on Sesame Street, were our emcees during the grand opening parade.  Well, Memphis' own, Deidra Shores, winner of the Today Show's Kid Reporter Contest, sat down to interview Roscoe and Sonia in Studio 8.

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

In a follow up from yesterday’s post, I have completed my Le Bonheur Children’s Ambassador Training.  It was a little touch and go as to whether I would make the cut, but I did.  (Okay, there were no cuts, I just thought it would be more dramatic.)  There was even a graduation ceremony, with a lot of pomp for the circumstance.

When I wrote yesterday’s post, I referred to the ambassador role as a tour guide.  That is, in part, true, but I learned quickly that it is more than that.  The ambassador is an important role for telling the story of Le Bonheur Children’s.  We educate on the hospital’s vision for the future, and Le Bonheur Children’s role in the community, nation, and world.  We are here to share the amazing and touching stories of the hospital, both historically and during the building process.

If you don’t know this already, let me be the first to tell you that there is no shortage of those stories.  Also, to put in perspective the size of the hospital, we were trained to provide a two-hour tour, and we are not even covering half of the hospital!

As I promised, here are a few interesting facts about the new Le Bonheur Children’s:

• The new hospital is 610,000 square-feet in size.
• The complete Le Bonheur campus is will be 50 percent larger and will cover more than one million square-feet.
• In the same way the current hospital is designed, all patient rooms are private, and now will accommodate comfortable sleeping space for two parents.
• Playrooms and space for families to gather on every inpatient floor.
• The new hospital includes a movie theater.
• Lactation rooms for moms are available on each floor.
• The Emergency Department will more than double in size, with 64 patient treatment rooms in the new area.
• Almost half of the beds in the new Le Bonheur Children’s are for critical care patients – these beds are in the dedicated pediatric intensive care, cardiovascular intensive care and neonatal intensive care units.

Over the next few weeks, I will share more specifics about the new Le Bonheur Children’s and the exciting aspects of it.  Also, what kind of a blogger would I be if I didn’t take a few pictures?

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…

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

There are many exciting aspects of Le Bonheur Children’s new hospital building, and one of my favorite parts is all of the art going into the building.  If you’ve never had to be part of a team that has to find appropriate artwork to fill a 600,000+ square foot building, it is no small task.  Considering the number of rooms and what we know about the impact of environment on healing, it can seem overwhelming.

However, Le Bonheur Children’s has a wonderful team of people that are helping to make art in the new building a reality.  They have worked tirelessly to find artist and pieces that fit perfectly for the feel of the hospital.  I’ll revisit in a couple of weeks and talk more about this team, but trust me when I tell you that there will be a lot of exciting art.

Most recently, Le Bonheur Children’s welcomed Carol DeForest to help Le Bonheur Children’s create an art project call Mapping Our Lives.  The finished product will be an approximately 21-foot mural that will turn along several walls. The piece examines the individuals’ paths of lives and how they intersect at various points on the map.  It is a wonderful way to honor the relationship between patients, families, and staff, with the road leading to Le Bonheur Children’s.

Ms. DeForest is working with patients, families, staff, and people in the community to “capture” parts of their lives in clay.  People participating in the group have a wide variety of options of what to create.  It could be their own house, a self-portrait, a garden, pet, or school.  However, they could create plants, trees, special signs, or other things along the path to Le Bonheur Children’s.

The following pictures are from the first workshop help in the hospital, last Friday.  For the Le Bonheur Children’s staff involved, they loved expressing their art, and with Ms. DeForest help, it was more amazing than what anyone expected.  Be on the look out for the finished product because it will simply be amazing.

by Thomas Hobson
Child Life Director

Saturday night, Le Bonheur Children's Teen Advisory Council hosted the 3rd Annual Wacky Tacky Prom for patients and families in the hospital.  It was a tremendous success, and a lot of people danced the night away.  Personally, I'm still recovering from the dancing. 

After all of the fun, we had to share the pictures from that night.  These are only a handful from the night, and there are a ton of stories that go with each photo.  If you want a little more explanation on the Wacky Tacky Prom check out our post from last week.

When the Teen Council was leaving, I think I heard them start planning for next years prom...