Sometimes a little inspiration goes a long way, as pediatric patients at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego are discovering. Their visits to the facility have a little more cheer in them thanks to a donation of money and gifts made recently by team members from the $169 million RJ Donovan Correctional Facility project being constructed nearby by Sundt and joint venture partner Layton Construction.
The inspiration for the donations came from Sundt Safety Representative Luke Brown. After learning that one of the project’s carpenters, Josue Carrillo, has a young daughter with a heart condition who makes frequent trips to Rady Children’s Hospital for treatment, Luke decided to look for a way for the team to show their support.
“I contacted the hospital to find out what was needed and they suggested we put together activity kits,” Luke explained. “The nurses hand the kits out to kids who are spending many hours in their hospital beds and also to their siblings who are visiting.”
The request for donations was met with an immediate and enthusiastic response from all members of the corrections construction project team, including the owner’s representatives, subcontractors and suppliers. SundtLayton got the ball rolling by contributing $500 and another $500 was collected from the jobsite crew. More than $500 worth of items were donated to fill the activity bags, including board games, card games, toy trucks and miniature heavy construction equipment, construction-themed coloring books and stickers.
SundtLayton team members Ed Izatt, Pauline Dravet, Luke Brown, Jamie and Gary Weston (plus Luke’s wife Jessica and Josue’s wife and daughters) assembled the kits and delivered them to the hospital, along with the $1,000 in donations. “Putting the kits together was fun, but the most special moment of the day was when Clarissa handed the donation checks to the hospital volunteer coordinator,” Luke concluded.