The groundbreaking for Walker’s Imaginarium at Children’s Hospital New Orleans will be held Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. The event will be held at the hospital, located at 200 Henry Clay Ave. in New Orleans.
Walker’s Imaginarium is made possible entirely through philanthropic support. The project is a first-of-its-kind, 15,000-square-foot child enrichment center planned for the main campus of Children’s Hospital New Orleans that will provide a therapeutic environment for children of all ages and abilities to find joy and thrive throughout their hospital stay. Named in memory of Walker Beery, who founded nonprofit Kids Join the Fight before losing his own battle to pediatric brain cancer, Walker’s Imaginarium will serve as a place of healing and enrichment for children—a space where kids can play and momentarily forget they are sick.
Child enrichment leads to improved quality, outcomes, and patient family experiences. Families also need a space to be families while experiencing a hospital stay, which can be a hard and stressful time for both parents and siblings. Something as simple as a walk outside or a moment to step away and dance can provide a tremendous amount of respite. The imaginative escape of Walker’s Imaginarium will also offer patients and their families an opportunity to connect and form communities of support that would otherwise be difficult in isolated patient rooms or nursing units.