Project brightens children's hospital

Pediatric patients at Chris Evert Children's Hospital recently joined the wives of Miami Dolphins players, coaches, alumni and executives to paint rooms' ceilings in bright, cheery colors.

The beautification project was described as "therapeutic" by Kasey Castro and Caitlin Harrison, event organizers and child care specialists at the Fort Lauderdale hospital. About 20 pediatric patients worked with 11 Dolphins wives to paint ceiling tiles in an eighth-floor patient playroom, a general pediatrics patient room, and an outpatient playroom for hematology/oncology patients.

"The rooms are now more colorful with bright, kid-friendly colors," Castro said. "The children were able to use their creativity in a kind of therapeutic activity."

"Sometimes being in a hospital can be monotonous and get you down. The children had a great time getting out of their rooms, and it gave them something to look forward to," Harrison said.

The project also helped raise awareness of a large initiative that will soon begin, said Andria Nolan, director of major gifts.

Plans call for work to begin this summer on a $52 million renovation project. When completed by 2019, all of the semi-private patient rooms will be private by utilizing the remainder of the seventh and eighth floors to allow for patients' families to visit and stay overnight. It also will include improvements to the pediatric intensive care unit, the neonatal intensive care unit, the general pediatric department, and the hematology/oncology wing, Nolan said.

"The Dolphins wives reached out to us to be involved, and it was a great opportunity for us to talk about the capital campaign," she said.

Sabrina Goldstein, 17, a hematology/oncology patient receiving chemotherapy and other cancer treatment, was quick to pick up a paintbrush to participate in the project. Goldstein, who recently completed a summer learning project at the Rhode Island School of Design, painted one ceiling tile with an image of a bountiful garden and a sun-streaked sky.

"I love to paint; art is my passion. Working on the project made me feel nice, and I imagine it will make other kids feel better," she said.

Her parents, Luis Goldstein and Edie Levine, agreed.

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Project brightens children's hospital