My tour of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, one of my favorite things about my first few days at St. Jude’s/ALSAC was the tour that was given to me of the hospital. In this blog post I will go more in depth about the tour and how it helped motivate me as an intern.
We began the tour by learning some of the history of the hospital and its founder, Danny Thomas. Before this moment I honestly didn’t know much about Danny Thomas but all of that changed in a matter of moments. I quickly learned he was a successful entertainer in his day, and that while he was struggling to find success he made a prayer that if he became famous he would make a shrine to St. Jude. Eventually his prayers were answered, and he kept his promise by making the hospital.
After the brief history, we toured some of the waiting rooms for patients and families. That day there were many girls running around the halls trying on long formal dresses for a St. Jude prom event they were putting on later that day. It was great to see kids were still able to experience being a kid despite the tough illnesses they were facing. We were showed hallways that had beautiful, colorful murals all over them. I found out that any hall that children would walk down had bright artwork to inspire hope within them. After that my group was shown the Chili’s Care Center where tons of groundbreaking medical equipment is housed to treat children.
My tour of the facilities was exactly what I needed to begin my work at ALSAC. I was able to witness firsthand how my work would help effect the fundraising for the hospital and therefore the children. I hope that every intern that works for a philanthropic cause is able to experience a life changing tour like I was.
As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, one of my favorite things about my first few days at St. Jude’s/ALSAC was the tour that was given to me of the hospital. In this blog post I will go more in depth about the tour and how it helped motivate me as an intern.
We began the tour by learning some of the history of the hospital and its founder, Danny Thomas. Before this moment I honestly didn’t know much about Danny Thomas but all of that changed in a matter of moments. I quickly learned he was a successful entertainer in his day, and that while he was struggling to find success he made a prayer that if he became famous he would make a shrine to St. Jude. Eventually his prayers were answered, and he kept his promise by making the hospital.
After the brief history, we toured some of the waiting rooms for patients and families. That day there were many girls running around the halls trying on long formal dresses for a St. Jude prom event they were putting on later that day. It was great to see kids were still able to experience being a kid despite the tough illnesses they were facing. We were showed hallways that had beautiful, colorful murals all over them. I found out that any hall that children would walk down had bright artwork to inspire hope within them. After that my group was shown the Chili’s Care Center where tons of groundbreaking medical equipment is housed to treat children.
My tour of the facilities was exactly what I needed to begin my work at ALSAC. I was able to witness firsthand how my work would help effect the fundraising for the hospital and therefore the children. I hope that every intern that works for a philanthropic cause is able to experience a life changing tour like I was.