A Stollery family room filled with lemon love
In recognition of Simply Supper’s Lemonade Stand Day reaching more than $1 million in fundraising, the newly renovated family room at the Walter C. Mackenzie Stollery site has now been named Simply Supper’s Lemon Love Family Room.
Following the completion of exciting renovations and enhancements, Simply Supper’s Lemon Love Family Room is officially open!
Since 2014, Simply Supper’s Junior Lemon Squeezers have spread the lemon love by hosting lemonade stands, rallying their communities and raising funds in support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Each year, hundreds of lemonade stands are hosted across Alberta by kids committed to helping kids just like them.
In 2021, Simply Supper dedicated their Lemonade Stand Day fundraising to renovating and enhancing the family room within the Walter C. Mackenzie Stollery site. In recognition of Lemonade Stand Day reaching more than $1 million raised for the Hospital, the space has been officially named in Simply Supper’s honour.
“It’s so exciting for us after 10 years and going into our 11th year of Lemonade Stand Day to finally have a permanent mark,” says Monita Chapman, owner of Simply Supper and founder of Lemonade Stand Day. “All of our Junior Lemon Squeezers – as they come through the Hospital – get to see their hard work.”
Simply Supper’s Lemon Love Family Room is a fully accessible and inclusive space for Stollery families featuring:
- A modern design and comfortable furnishings
- A kitchen with dining table for families to share a meal, take breaks from the bedside and spend quality time together
- Child-friendly amenities including a play area, aquarium and sensory light features
- Wheelchair-accessible computer stations for personal and family tasks
- Access to comfort and hygiene items as well as snacks and refreshments
- Dedicated Patient and Family-Centred Care staff available to help provide information about the Hospital
- And more!
“We have very knowledgeable staff that will sit in here seven days a week to provide connections to patient and family-centred care resources,” says Kristin Wong, lead for Patient and Family-Centred Care at the Stollery. “In addition, families find connection with each other. I think that’s what we hope to see the most with this new layout and this new space – an opportunity for two families to sit in a kitchen together and talk about their journey, share some of the challenges that they have been facing and realize that they’re not alone.”
We acknowledge the time, dedication, passion and energy that went into the design and execution of this renovation, and we’re so grateful to be part of such an incredible project that will impact so many Stollery families, staff and volunteers.
Thank you to Simply Supper, the Junior Planning Committee and kids across Alberta for making this possible.
