We’ve Got Friends in ZONE Places!
Best. Birthday celebration. EVER. We were thrilled to celebrate the first birthday and official grand opening of the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Child Life Zone (the Zone) with none other than Garth Brooks himself! Garth joined us for the official ribbon cutting of the space on Friday, August 5, with Child Life staff, patients, and donors.
After a soft opening in 2021, the Zone has been utilized by our incredible team of Child Life specialists, as well as our rehabilitation team, and other units across the hospital. The space was made possible by our generous donors: Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, The James B. & Louis R. Archer Charitable Foundation, The Reilly Family, Hope Hits Harder Cancer Foundation, and numerous other Zone angels.
“The Child Life Zone serves as a therapeutic environment to extend the services of our medical professionals. It is a space full of creative outlets where patients are free to be themselves and enjoy something fun,” said Jessica Braner, Child Life Zone coordinator at The Children’s Hospital. “Their families and our staff can create moments of joy during their stay with us.”
The Zone features approximately 4,000 square feet of state-of-the-art recreational therapy space. This space offers patients a different type of “medicine.” Here, they can play games, create art, make music, and find peace in everyday normalcy. Patients and their families can escape from the hospital setting and enjoy a safe, fun, and healing environment. The Zone supports age-appropriate creative learning and play activities for all children. It features a medical play area, Microsoft wall and gaming area, a multi-media visual and radio production space, a sensory gym to improve children’s sensory integration, and more.
The space is one of only 15 in North America. Garth Brooks joined the ribbon cutting, played with patients, visited with families, and sang a few songs in the recording studio that patients could watch live from their rooms via CL Zone TV. Great fun was had by all and memories were made that will last a lifetime.
“We were honored to welcome Garth Brooks to The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio,” said Cris Daskevich, CEO of The Children’s Hospital. “We are so blessed and can’t thank our donors enough for allowing us to create this wonderful space. None of this would be possible without them.”
Here’s a peek into the Child Life Zone at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio:
To learn more about the impact your gifts make, visit childrenshospitalsafoundation.org.