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Six local children help raise ribbon-adorned tree to celebrate construction milestone
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Watch video highlights of the event
HOUSTON, Texas – (July 8, 2009) – Brightly colored ribbons, each
representing the dream of a Houston-area child, decorated a tree
raised to the top of the Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus
building today in a ceremony to celebrate the hospital’s “topping
out.” In a construction tradition, a tree is raised to a building’s
highest point to mark the completion of the beam structure.
“Building our first community hospital has been a dream come true
for Texas Children’s Hospital,” said President and CEO Mark
A. Wallace. “We thought the best way to celebrate our dream was
to celebrate the dreams of children in our community.”
In preparation for this special approach to the ceremony, the
hospital collected more than 300 dreams that area children wished
for themselves, their family or friends. Six local children,
randomly selected from all children who submitted their dreams,
joined Wallace to give the official signal for the tree to be
raised.
Children participating in the ceremony included Gavin Wade Morgan,
age 3; Brandon Wees, age 4; Emily Schaefer, age 5;
Valencia Wilson-Weathers, age 9; Miranda Elizabeth Smith,
age 11; and Tobin Creswell, age 13. Members of the drum line
from Morton Ranch High School Maverick Band provided a dramatic drum
cadence as the tree was raised.
Many of the dreams received have been showcased on the Texas
Children’s Hospital West Campus web page and a selection will be
included in a commemorative print advertisement later this month.
The Dream Tree will be displayed on the roof of the West Campus
structure for a week and will then be planted in a special location
within the natural setting surrounding the hospital. Consistent with
evidence-based principles, the new Texas Children’s Hospital West
Campus incorporates interior and exterior design elements that
promote healing such as natural light, views of water and nature,
and park-like settings. When completed in late 2010, the West Campus
will provide outpatient and inpatient services and offer the only
dedicated pediatric emergency center in greater West Houston.
“The new West Campus will provide families in the rapidly growing
West Houston area with extended access to Texas Children’s
world-renowned family-centered pediatric healthcare services,” added
Wallace.
The West Campus topping out ceremony was attended by more than 300
guests including Texas Children’s Hospital executives, board members
and major contributors, as well as representatives from the
project’s construction company, Tellepsen Builders, and from
PageSoutherlandPage, the project’s architecture firm.
Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a barbeque lunch on the first
level of the hospital structure and heard remarks from Wallace and
Howard Tellepsen, chairman and CEO of Tellepsen Builders. Guests
were invited to sign special columns in the hospital’s lobby area
and got a firsthand look at how the West Campus construction is
progressing.
Located on 55 acres at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Barker
Cypress, the West Campus is Houston’s first community hospital
designed, built and staffed for children. It will be among the
nation’s largest suburban pediatric hospitals and will serve one of
the country’s fastest growing child populations. The hospital has
been designed to incorporate the best practices in pediatric
treatment environments and to provide the special accommodations
that families need in a children’s medical facility. The medical
campus is being built in phases, totaling 534,000 square feet, with
the outpatient clinic building and the inpatient facility scheduled
to open in late 2010. For more information, visit
www.westcampus.texaschildrens.org.
Texas Children’s Hospital is among the largest pediatric hospitals
in the country and is dedicated to serving children and families
through excellence in patient care, education and research. The
hospital’s new West Campus development is made possible in large
part through the generous support of corporations and families in
the local community who are committed to improving the health and
well-being of its children.
Texas Children's Hospital is committed to a community of healthy
children by providing the finest pediatric patient care, education
and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and breakthrough
developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children’s is
ranked in the top ten best children’s hospitals by U.S. News &
World Report. Texas Children’s also operates the nation’s
largest primary pediatric care network, with over 40 offices
throughout the greater Houston community. Texas Children’s has
embarked on a $1.5 billion expansion, Vision 2010, which
includes a comprehensive neurological research institute, the
formation of a maternity center, and the development of the new West
Campus, Texas Children’s first pediatric hospital in a suburban
setting. For more information on Texas Children's Hospital, visit
www.texaschildrens.org.
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