What do you get when you combine a 127 enthusiastic and caring people across 12 different locations, and over 35,000 craft supplies? 2,500 smiling, giggling, happy children!
Recently, the Plibrico Company and four Plibrico Network partners, F.S. Sperry Company, Empire Refractory Services, Upstate Refractory Services, and FibreCast Inc., convened their staffs to assemble nearly 2,500 Happy Craft kits for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Shriners Hospitals provide innovative, pediatric care for orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal conditions afflicting young children in 22 facilities across America and Mexico. It treats children’s complex healthcare needs associated with trauma, burns, spinal cord injuries, cleft lip and palate conditions.
Plibrico Company’s Happy Craft Project contributes an important component of the healing process for these brave young patients. “Happy Crafts” are a hands-on playtime activity for parents and children who are living through the long hours of rehabilitation and recovery.
“While we know that the children at Shriners Hospitals receive one-of-a-kind attention for their condition, what we don’t appreciate is the toll the procedures and treatments take on a child and their families,” observed Plibrico President and CEO Brad Taylor. “The Happy Craft kits provide a welcome, fun distraction from the realities of being in a hospital. Shriners Hospitals provide a supporting, loving environment, and we’re extremely proud to help support that healing environment with our Happy Craft Kits.”
A total of 127 Plibrico Company and Plibrico Network associates stepped up. In Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio, Indiana, New York, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Ontario Canada, they huddled over cafeteria tables, in conference rooms and supervisors’ offices, counting out thousands of beads, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, clothespins, and other hobby materials to package into separate kits for distribution. The kits contained instructions for building action figures, fire breathing dragons, dream catchers, race cars, funny bugs and wind spinners.
“The kits deliver a much-needed diversion from their day to day challenges added Taylor. “These children are facing chronic, life threatening illnesses. When they put their hands and imaginations to work to help take their minds off their daily struggles, they feel better about themselves. In addition to an escape for the children, it’s for the parents too, even if it’s only for a couple hours.
Taylor commented, “Plibrico has a strong footprint in our industry. We take an active interest in the communities where we work and live, and we want to contribute however we can. The Shriners Hospitals for Children is an outstanding institution doing invaluable work. Plibrico and the Happy Craft Project is proud to be a part of that.”
Handcrafts, art and drawing activities have proven to improve a patient’s mood, emotions, and sense of self-worth. Hospitals frequently initiate such programs for their potential to reduce stress and depression, as well as to lighten the weight of serious, lingering illness.
Participating Plibrico Network partners included: F.S. Sperry Company, headquartered in Memphis, TN; Empire Refractory Services, Indianapolis, IN; Upstate Refractory Services, headquartered in Newark, NY; and FibreCast, Inc, of Burlington Ontario, Canada.
Shriners Hospitals For Children cared for 145,608 children in 2019. Its corporate headquarters are at 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Florida 33607.
Watch the video HERE.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system with locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Our staff is dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, conducting innovative research, and offering outstanding educational programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. Within these broad service lines, many types of care are provided. For example, some locations offer reconstructive plastic surgery, treatment for craniofacial abnormalities or care for sports injuries. Generally, care is provided until age 18, although, in some cases, it may be extended to age 21. All services are provided in a compassionate, family-centered environment.
For more information, visit www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.
About Plibrico Company, LLC
Plibrico Company, LLC is an industry leading single-source supplier of aluminosilicate and high alumina monolithic refractories used in the processing of aluminum, steel, sugar, cement, waste, power generation and other demanding thermal environments. For over a century, organizations have trusted us to develop innovative and reliable refractory solutions that consistently increase efficiency, improve production uptime and safely boost the performance of our customers’ thermal processing operations and equipment.
Committed to growth and focused on providing value to customers, Plibrico has brought together one of the broadest product and technical service portfolios in the refractories industry. Our wide portfolio allows us to fully service our customers from concept to completion.
Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, Plibrico serves its customers through a centrally located manufacturing plant, and a network of refractory construction offices and partners throughout the United States and Canada. Plibrico supplies high quality monolithic refractory materials worldwide under the Plico® brand.
For more information, visit plibrico.com.
Plibrico Company, LLC
1935 Techny Road, Unit 16
Northbrook, IL 60062
P: (312) 337-9000
Contact
Pamela Gaul
P: (312) 981-2861
