It was a joyous, celebratory day as people gathered beneath white tents to mark the grand opening of The Dorion Family Pediatric Center on Thursday, June 11.
The Foundation of Community Hospice and Palliative Care hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony, joined by community stakeholders, longtime supporters and several of Jacksonville’s prominent philanthropic families.
Dorothy Dorion, honorary chair of the Build, Create Comfort Campaign for this new center, thanked those in attendance for the outpouring of support and shared with them a heartfelt message about what this center means to her.
“Thank you, thank you for making this world a better place, and I hope that it’s an inspiration to other hospices every year, and most of all, thank you for making my late husband [George’s] last dying wish come true,” Dorion said.
Stepping inside the renovated building is to enter a space where imagination takes center stage, offering families respite through a range of amenities, from the book castle, where children can cozy up in a magical reading nook, to the recording studio, where they can express themselves through song and music. Various rooms provide different resources for all family members, including The Lastinger Family Caregiver Support Room, the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds Healing Harmonies Music Therapy Room, and The DuBow Family Foundation & The Jim & Tabitha Furyk Foundation Hearts and Hope Child Life Specialist’s Therapy Center & Creative Arts Room.
As Phillip Ward, chief operating officer of Alivia Care, Inc. and president and CEO of Community Hospice and Palliative Care, stated, “This is a place where children are not going to be defined by their illness. Instead, this is a place where they’re going to be defined by their laughter and their creativity as they draw, as they record music, as they sing, as they plant plants, as they play, make new friends, and experience new things. As parents have an opportunity to drink a cup of coffee and take a moment to just breathe, instead of being defined simply as a caregiver.”
