Working With Target House: An Honor & A Privilege
I'm honored that 50 of my mobiles will be spinning at Target House in Memphis, TN.
More than 70 years ago, a young man found himself in a tough
spot. With a new wife and an infant child, he was at a crossroads. And he
needed help.
So, he did what many of us would never think to do: He hit up St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of
hopeless causes, with a request. And he brought with him a bold promise.
He exclaimed: “Help me find my way in life, and I will build
you a shrine.”
As the story goes, the young man’s life took a turn … for
the better.
In fact, he became an internationally-known star of radio,
film and TV as well as a respected producer of a number of the most popular television
series of the 50s and 60s.
You could say that life was good. Very good.
And, you could also say this man knew how to keep a promise.
In 1962, Danny Thomas opened St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.
With the belief that “no child should die in the dawn of
life,” his shrine was built. Ever since,
St. Jude has been fulfilling its mission to advance cures, and means of prevention,
for pediatric catastrophic diseases through leading-edge research and groundbreaking
treatment.
If you’re familiar with the work that St. Jude does, you
know there is no other place like it on earth. Over the past 52 years, St. Jude
doctors and researchers have pioneered treatments that have helped push the
overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20% to 80% today.
That is amazing!
I am very proud to share that my younger brother and
sister-in-law have both served as doctors and researchers at St. Jude. So, I am
intimately aware of the Good that is made here.
In addition to their obvious contributions to medicine, St.
Jude is exceptional in a number of other less-apparent ways; not the least of
which is that it never denies treatment based on race, religion or a family's
ability to pay.
That’s right: Families NEVER receive a bill from St. Jude
for treatment, travel, housing or food – because St. Jude believes the only
thing a family should worry about is helping their child. Period.
As part of this commitment, St. Jude works with the
community to provide free housing options to its patients and families. Target House is just such a place.
Funded by Target and its vendor and celebrity partner
contributions, Target House I and Target House II provide up to 98 families with
a long-term home-away-from-home while undergoing treatments that will last more
than 90 days.
More than just a place to stay, Target House is a place where
“children and their families can rest and heal, to gather and find ongoing
support.” More than 1300 families have benefited from this remarkable place.
Now, I’m pleased (and supremely honored) to be a very small part
of the St. Jude and Target mission to bring light into the lives of families
facing such incredible challenges.
In collaboration with Business Interiors by Staples and
Hanging Mobile Gallery, I was asked to create a series of mobiles for the 2014-2015
Target House I renovation-redecoration project. Target House I offers 50
two-bedroom apartment suites and several common areas, including the Tiger
Woods Library, the Amy Grant Music Room, the Sergei Grinkov Garden, and a PGA
Tour Wives Association-sponsored playground.
An updated version of my mobile, camo-a-go-go,
will be spinning in each of the 50 apartments of Target House I (more pictures to
come). As a small way to give back, I will be donating 25% of all sales of this mobile to St. Jude for life.
I’m happy and humbled to imagine my mobiles bringing a
little wonder and whimsy into the lives of so many who need it most. Find out how you can help St. Jude's, too.
Thank you to Peggy Caldwell at Business Interiors by
Staples, Kathryn Richards at Hanging Mobile Gallery, and all the men and women –
volunteers, doctors, researchers, and staff – who give their best to make St.
Jude what is has become today. It’s truly awe inspiring.
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| Getting ready to ship |
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| The unpainted prototype for the new design |
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| The first set of 25 mobiles during the drying process |