Foster the People‘s Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink took over Ada Street’s vinyl library last night with a guest DJ set benefitting the band’s Do Good Project. Spinning crowd favorites including Daft Punk, David Byrne, and Notorious B.I.G. the guys kept the dance party kicking long after their sold-out show at the Congress Theater. The Do Good Project supports local charities in a variety of volunteer projects along the tour, including Music Works in Chicago. Look for the Do Good van at Foster the People’s second sold-out show tonight, and at each stop along their tour this summer.
Children’s Memorial Hospital is getting a new home in Chicago next month. As with any move there’s much to be done, but it’s astonishing to consider the innumerable details involved in planning, building, and relocating an organization of this scale. I recently had the opportunity to tour the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital facility and it’s clear that amid all the preparations the kids truly come first.
Standing 23 stories above Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood, Lurie Children’s is the tallest hospital in the world. The new hospital has been named in honor of Anne Lurie, a local philanthropist and former nurse at Children’s, who pledged $100 million to the project. There are many benefits to the new 1.25 million square feet space, but what struck me most was the inspiring and supportive environment that permeated the hospital.
Alongside the space age medical technology, a Children’s Advisory Board of current and former patients weighed in on elements that would make the hospital experience less intimidating to patients and their families. This includes art along the hallways leading to operating rooms as well as inside the rooms.
Each floor of the hospital is named after a different Chicago community partner and decorated to match. On the first two floors, visitors are greeted by Shedd aquarium whales and a living fish tank. Interestingly, the emergency room is located on the second floor with access via an enclosed ambulance bay and special elevators for ER patients.
The scariness of surgery is lessened with a submarine CT scan and a safari surgery waiting room.
Brightly colored hospital units flood with natural light and exquisite views.
The Lurie Children’s facility will give the hospital the long-overdue space it needs to serve its patients as well as room to grow. This includes 288 private rooms equipped with accommodations for families with the capacity to expand to 313 rooms. Each inpatient room has a pull-out couch for those who want to sleep near their child. Additionally, there are lounges and sibling play areas nearby so families can relax only steps away.
The hospital’s new location on the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine campus will strengthen research opportunities. It will also be attached via walkway to the adjacent Prentice Women’s Hospital to allow for the quick transfer of newborns in critical condition, while allowing the mother to visit without having to discharge from Prentice.
Lurie Children’s will be home to an old fashioned Walgreens soda shop and pharmacy, modeled after its first locations. Walgreens will provide at-home and even hospital bedside delivery, allowing families to remain with their children. An in-unit hotel for inpatient families will be serviced by Affinia.
An incredible degree of thoughtfulness is evident in the stimulating details around every corner at Lurie Children’s. For example, each night a child will be selected to program the color and frequency of the Children’s LED hand logo on the building’s exterior using a flat screen TV in their room. Every patient elevator features an activity like pressing buttons to hearing different city traffic sounds. Themed display boxes provide an interesting distraction as patients are wheeled throughout their unit, and on the Adler Planetarium-sponsored floor an astrology wall will light up constellations on command.
The Museum of Science & Industry’s interactive butterfly wall already had already won some fans during its first public outing.
One entire floor is devoted to fun activities away from all of the medical devices. Featuring a salon, meditation room, and teen lounge, among other things, patients can enjoy time away in a less intimidating hospital setting.
A chapel will be open at all times, providing a space of solace and reflection.
A piece of the Children’s Memorial Hospital’s Lincoln Park heritage is proudly showcased in the Founder’s Tree House. Made of a preserved Lincoln Park tree dating back to the 1896 World’s Fair, the tree house connects patients to the garden below, which they are unable to enter.
Visitors can interact in an actual former Chicago Fire Department truck. Nearby, an installation by Jaume Plensa dazzles. Plensa is also the designer behind Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain.
The 5,000 sq. ft. Crown Sky Garden offers a stunning green space of renewal.
Lurie Children’s is making medical history in Chicago and in the world. Aside from the miracles accomplished by its devoted staff every day, this engaging and compassionate space itself is a wonder to behold.
While the official opening is not until June, Lurie Children’s welcomes the Chicago community to tour its new facility this weekend. Tour this incredible institution this Saturday, May 12 between 10am – 5pm. Click here to RSVP or for more information.
If you would like to make a donation to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital you may do so here.
If you still need motivation, check out this promotional song featuring hospital employees and Chicago celebs including Children’s patient and YouTube sensation Keenan Cahill.
What are you doing this Saturday? Perfecting your 7-layer dip recipe? Deciding which last-minute jersey purchase best suits your skin tone (hint: the team colors are the same)? Since you’ll spend all Sunday waiting with rapt attention for a Madonna wardrobe malfunction, why not get out on football eve and help spark something?
Since 2007, the Chicago-based non-profit Spark Ventures has been creating sustainable partnerships with international grassroots organizations focused on helping vulnerable children reach their potential. On February 4th, Young Partners of Spark, a community of young professionals who support Spark Ventures, will host a benefit concert to raise awareness for this incredible organization.
Join YPS and Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press to rock out for a cause at The Cubby Bear from 7-9 pm. Admission is $15, and tickets may be purchased in advance here.
For further inspiration, check out the video below highlighting the wonderful work Spark Ventures does for children across the world.
What do you remember most about prom? It wasn’t the song playing while some girl would not stop trying to cut in to dance with my boyfriend. It wasn’t the stream of photos I took with people I would never talk to again. It was the dress.
Every girl deserves their Cinderella moment on prom night, but it can be a costly undertaking. Ladies of true style know a great look needn’t cost much, but throw in the right shoes, jewelry, bag, makeup, hair, nails, etc. and suddenly the Fairy Godmother’s credit limit is being compromised. The Glass Slipper Project provides everything a girl needs to feel like she’s stepped into a fairytale on that most magical of high school nights.
Accepting donations of new and nearly new prom dresses and accessories, the Glass Slipper Project serves women who may not otherwise have means to outfit themselves for prom. The non-profit has already dressed over 1,000 girls this season! No proof of financial need is required, just proof of current high school enrollment with junior or senior status. Volunteer personal shoppers work with students at the Glass Slipper boutique location to choose the perfect prom attire.
This Saturday, April 16, is the last boutique date of 2011. The boutique is open from 8am to 4pm and is located at McCorkle School at 4421 S. State St. Students interested in shopping at the boutique need no appointment, but should be prepared to wait for a personal shopper. Volunteers are still needed in many areas of the boutique, including breakdown on Sunday April 30. Donations are also still needed, especially including jewelry, dress purses, and makeup.
Chicago fashionistas know that style is a skill. Put it to good use by volunteering with the Glass Slipper Project and help a girl feels like royalty on Prom night. Volunteers can sign up here, or contact the Glass Slipper Project for more information.
