Spreading the lemony love
In recognition of Simply Supper’s Lemonade Stand Day raising more than $2 million since 2014, the newly renovated family room at the Stollery’s Phillip C. Etches Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital will now be known as the Simply Supper’s Lemon Love Bear’s Den.
Since August 2014, Simply Supper’s Junior Lemon Squeezers rally together each summer in support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation by hosting a lemonade stand as part of Simply Supper’s Lemonade Stand Day.
In honour of the 10th annual Lemonade Stand Day in 2024, funds raised were in support of renovating and enhancing the family room located outside the Stollery’s Philip C. Etches Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. This renovation would create a safe, comfortable and family oriented space for families who have a baby in the NICU to enjoy.
The renovations are now complete and the new and improved family space will now be known as the Simply Supper’s Lemon Love Bear’s Den.
“It’s so amazing to see the work that our Junior Lemon Squeezer’s do across the Stollery come to life and be there for Stollery kids and their families forever,” says Monita Chapman, owner of Simply Supper and founder of Lemonade Stand Day. “It’s also about raising the next generation of philanthropists, to continue doing this good work.”
The Simply Supper’s Lemon Love Bear’s Den is a bright, inclusive space for Stollery families featuring:
- An attached quiet room, giving families a private space
- New, comfortable furnishings
- A library with books for both parents and their kids
- Fun and interactive games on the wall for kids
- A kitchen and dining table for families to eat, spend quality time together and take breaks
- Dedicated Patient and Family-Centered Care staff to be there for families around the clock
- And more!
“This room, and the adjoining quiet room, not only provide comfort to families, but also an improved spaced for togetherness,”
says Sarah Topilko, co-ordinator for the Patient & Family-Centered Care Team at the Stollery. “Our Patient and Family-Centered care team is excited to be able to run programming, such as family peer support groups, family orientations and parent education sessions in the space, creating a community hub and sense of normalcy for families.”
Thank you to Simply Supper, the Junior Planning Committee and kids across Alberta for making the Simply Supper’s Lemon Love Bear’s Den possible.
