THUNDER BAY - Lucy Goldberg, who has been taking her 13-year-old son Logan to the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre for the past 10 years, said there was no missing very big and important changes at the centre, which came courtesy of some hometown heroes.
“Logan comes here often and right away he noticed in the foyer,” Goldberg said. “He saw all the words that spell welcome in different languages. It’s very inspirational for him. He loves the hockey portraits, especially the ones that highlight the children with different abilities.”
The George Jeffrey Children’s Centre and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre unveiled new renovations to 10 spaces on Tuesday that were made possible with help from the Smilezone Foundation and the Staal Family Foundation.
The renovations include the foyer at the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, creating a welcoming and inviting space with hockey jerseys of local players on the wall, as well as murals, entertainment units, and therapeutic equipment for several rooms. Three rooms in the TBRHSC’S Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit also received new murals and upgrades to the classroom with new learning features like iPads and video games, and bookcases.
The purpose of the renovations is to make the experiences for children receiving treatment and their parents more comfortable and inviting.
Goldberg said that as a parent of a child with special needs, she spends a lot of time at the George Jeffrey Centre.
“Staring at beige walls for hours on end can be bleak and gloomy at times,” she said. “The transformation has been amazing. You come into the centre, you see these beautiful murals, the technology which is a huge asset for our children. The murals are breathtaking.”
The Smilezone Foundation, co-founded by two-time Stanley Cup champion Adam Graves, works to transform health care spaces for children.
New York Rangers defenceman, Marc Staal, said he was approached by Graves about a project to renovate the local centres, and it was something he and his brothers at the Staal Family Foundation were really excited to be a part of and it contributed $80,000 to the renovation.
“Me and my brothers all have kids of our own,” he said. “We know what it’s like to take our kids to a doctor’s office, but luckily we haven’t had to be in it every day and we know that waiting or being in a room with a three or four-year-old can be taxing on them and parents and to have a space where they can just play and relax and just enjoy coming here is great.”
Several members of the Staal family were at the George Jeffrey Centre for the unveiling, including Eric, Jordan, and Jared and their families. Marc Staal said being at the unveiling really helps show them just how many changes were made.
“Sometimes you don’t get to see where it goes or the changes it’s making,” Marc said. “This is very tangible. You walk in and see the renovations they have done.”
“It’s definitely hockey themed, which I like,” Eric added. “But it’s just inviting. The way Smilezone does their business, they do a phenomenal job of brightening things up and making it inviting and a warm area to be in.”
Tom Walters, CEO of the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, said the changes to spaces at the centre do more than brighten the room and celebrate local hockey heroes.
“We work with special needs kids, kids who have developmental or communication or physical disabilities,” he said. “When you are working with children, you don’t do it the traditional way with adults where you do it with talk therapy. You have to have an environment where they feel comfortable, where they feel welcomed, you do a lot of your work through play.”
“It’s inspirational to have local heroes come to our centre and make this transformation here,” Goldberg added. “The true heroes are the small and big that walk around the halls of this centre, so we are very grateful.”
