CLEVELAND – Credit unions, the Republican National Convention and RealClearPolitics will host a construction kickoff in honor of the 2016 Republican nominating convention in Angie’s Garden at University Hospital’s Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital today at 2:30pm ET.
The groups are adding therapeutic space in a year-round horticultural therapy suite that will positively impact the hospital’s patients and enrich the local community.
Among those in attendance will be Jeff Larson, CEO, Republican National Convention; Jim Nussle, president/CEO of CUNA; Paul Mercer, president of the Ohio Credit Union League; Patti DePompei, president of University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s, and Tom Bevan, Co-Founder, RealClearPolitics.
Organizers noted that credit unions have a time-honored tradition of “leave-behind” projects in cities hosting national party conventions, ensuring that the space created today continues to serve local communities long after the conventions leave town. The Ohio Credit Union League is spearheading the $325,000 fundraising effort to cover the costs of the project, and is joining with CUNA and RealClearPolitics, a Washington-based non-partisan publication covering politics and policy, as lead sponsors of the effort.
The project adds new therapeutic activity space in the hospital’s existing rooftop garden that will enable patients to engage in plant-based activities facilitated by a trained horticulturalist.
Construction will unfold over the spring and summer, and will include volunteer opportunities for credit union employees, and convention staff, to lend a helping hand. Plans call for a ribbon-cutting event to take place during the week of the convention, which will be held July 18-21.