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Dear Friends

Strong Kids Newsletter

Dear Friends

Nina F. Schor, MD, PhD While the cold and the snow were bombarding our region, my colleagues and I at Golisano Children's Hospital were working to bring a little warmth to the lives of children and families afflicted by childhood illness and injury. What a joy it is to see a smile on a child's face and to hear his or her family laugh and sing with our Child Life team! At the same time, our researchers have been working to make treatments available that could not have been imagined even five years ago. Imagine putting genes in cells so they make a protein that was missing; or teaching families how to manage a child's asthma in a way that changes the whole family's behavior and keeps the child in school and at play rather than in the hospital or clinic. And, lest I forget, we have all been training the next generation of clinicians and researchers and teachers, so that Rochester always has the very best for its children and families. In fact, by the time you read this, we will have found out which senior medical students will be joining our residency training programs come July!

At our Miracle Lunch, we celebrate the triumphs, we recognize the trials and tribulations, and we thank the champions – community organizations, friends and neighbors, parents and grandparents and teachers and health care teams – who make and keep our region's children healthy. It is indeed an honor and a pleasure every year to take time out from our busy lives to acknowledge the sacrifices wonderful people make for children and to salute the strength and dignity of children and families.

But this year is special because we are building for our future and our efforts have taken tangible shape on Crittenden Boulevard! For the first time in our history, we are building a hospital just for children and those who love them. For the first time in our history, we are asking "How would I build this to make it perfect for kids," instead of "How do I modify this to make it work for kids." For this difference, this miracle, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our University and hospital leaders; our faculty and staff; our architects and contractors and builders, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters; our donors – past, current, and future; our community partners; and the children and families who have waited so long for this place of healing made just for them. We thank you all, not only for what you have done, but for what we know you will do and for what you have enabled us to do for the most vulnerable and most precious citizens of our region.

Sincerely,

Nina F. Schor, MD, PhD