Wegmans Family Charitable Foundation re-names Child Life Program in support of its growth

When a patient comes in for a procedure or treatment one of the first people they meet is a child life specialist. A hospital is often thought of as a scary place for a child or adolescent, but the Child Life Division at Golisano Children’s Hospital works with patients and families to help them navigate through their individual medical experience and bring normalcy back into their lives, lessening their fear and anxiety. Each specialist’s focus is to see the situation through the eyes of the child and become his or her advocate during the hospital stay.

In April 2014, the Wegman Family Charitable Foundation generously donated $7 million to Golisano Children’s Hospital. While $6 million of the Foundation’s gift supported the construction of the new building, $1 million will be used to establish an endowment to increase the quality of child life programs, services, and facilities. In recognition of this gift, the children’s hospital’s Child Life Program has been renamed the “Wegmans Child Life Program.” The generous support of the Foundation is further recognized on the seventh and eighth floors of the new children’s hospital, where the Wegmans Child Life Zone is named in recognition of the Foundation’s support.

“We can’t think of a more important time to put fun in a child’s life than when they are in the hospital,” said Danny Wegman. “And when children feel better, so do their families. That’s why the Child Life Program is so impactful.”

Read more about the impact of the Wegmans Child Life Program in this Democrat & Chronicle story.