CUNA is joining with a Washington, D.C., political news operation to restore playgrounds at children’s hospitals in North Carolina and Florida in honor of the Democratic and Republican national conventions there this summer.
The work will take place at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., site of the Democratic National Convention the week of Sept. 3 there and at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., ahead of the GOP gathering Aug. 27-30 in nearby Tampa.
“The effort represents credit unions’ tradition of honoring each national convention city with a ‘leave-behind’ project that will serve the local communities long after the conventions have left town,” CUNA said in an announcement Thursday.
The Charlotte hospital will see an existing 12th-floor rooftop converted into a dynamic play space that will include a touch-activated light and color “bubble wall,” outdoor play equipment and environmental upgrades. An existing playground at the St. Petersburg hospital will be retrofitted with special equipment to help the rehabilitation of children suffering from a variety of illnesses and accidents.
The cost – an estimated $300,000 – will be covered with funds raised by credit unions nationwide, an effort led by the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation and the League of Southeastern Credit Unions and supported by CUNA Mutual Group.
Partnering with CUNA in the effort is the National Journal Group, owner of NationalJournal.com, National Journal Hotline and National Journal magazine.
