A Birthday Party You Don’t Want to Miss
 Packard Children's Hospital staff members that helped opened the doors of the hospital on June 10, 1991 |
Since that historic day 20 years ago, the hospital’s exceptional service and historic breakthroughs in transplant, cardiology, neonatology, oncology and more have earned it a perennial distinction as one of the nation’s top-ranked children’s hospitals.
After helping so many children celebrate their birthdays, Packard Children’s is now ready to celebrate its own with a community birthday bash on Sunday, June 26 at the intersection of Quarry and Welch Roads in Palo Alto. With more than 75 interactive booths, a day full of stage performances and food from favorite local restaurants, this free celebration is sure to be memorable for all ages.
Fun and Learning for Kids
“Children are the heart and soul of our hospital; that’s why we designed every element of this party to engage the kids,” said Sherri Sager, Chief Government Relations Officer and Party Committee Chair at Packard Children’s. “Each booth—whether it’s led by a hospital service or an organization in our community—plans to be interactive and fun,” added Sager.Hospital staff and volunteers from virtually all departments will be offering creative and educational activities in their booths. Whether potting plants and vegetables with Clinical Nutrition, honing surgical skills with a Surgical Services simulator, or bubble-blowing with Child and Family Life, kids will have no shortage of unique games and activities to choose from.
Arts and crafts lovers will enjoy numerous projects including fan folding, origami, and spinning-top making, while vehicle lovers can climb aboard and explore a real ambulance and fire truck provided by Critical Care Transport and the Palo Alto Fire Department. Sports fans of all sizes will have a chance to take a photo with San Francisco 49er alums, or kick a soccer ball with the San Jose Earthquakes.
“I know all-too-well what it’s like to have a loved one with a life-threatening illness, and Packard’s warm community and celebratory spirit makes such a difference in these families’ lives,” said San Jose Earthquakes Forward #32 Matt Luzunaris. “That’s why I’m so passionate about volunteering at the hospital’s 20th birthday celebration this month; it will be an incredible gift for me to see the joy in the kids’ faces as they lose themselves in the fun.”
Great Acts and Yummy Eats
To take a break, kids can sit and relax to one of nine stage performances by acts including the PapaHugs Band, the Chinese Lion Dancers Troupe and the Uforia Hula Hoop Stars.They can also recharge with delicious and healthy food from some of Palo Alto’s best, including MacArthur Park Restaurant, California Café, Andronico’s Market or Tootsie’s, and cool down with a frozen treat from Fraiche Yogurt or a drink from Hint Water. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday party without cupcakes!
Fun and Skill-Building For Adults
Moms and dads will have plenty of their own activities. They can start the morning off by joining the Packard Summer Scamper 5K, 10K, or Kids Fun Run, benefiting the Lucile Packard Children’s Fund. From there, they can take a short walk or free shuttle ride over to the birthday party and take their pick from a range of fun and skill-building activities, including a ZUMBA demonstration from the Palo Alto YMCA, a lesson on creating disaster preparedness kits provided by our Office of Emergency Management, or a refresher course on CPR taught by the American Red Cross, Silicon Valley Chapter.All day long, families will find giveaways they can bring home and enjoy, including reusable shopping bags, jump ropes, rubber ducks that change color according to water temperature, collapsible frisbees, band-aid dispensers and more. Whew!
“Marking 20 years of service to the community means that we have many families and children to celebrate with, and we hope to see them on June 26,” said Christopher G. Dawes, CEO and President of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. “This party is a thank you for their tremendous support, and we also think it’s a great way to kick off the next 20 years.”
The Packard Children’s 20th birthday party is open to the entire community and free of charge. You are invited to come celebrate! Join us on June 26th, from 10 am to 4 pm, at the intersection of Quarry and Welch Roads.