Projects
Projects
Rypien Foundation Children's Emergency Center
As a premier provider of hope for local families battling childhood cancer, it is our goal to provide support for the whole family from the beginning of the journey to the end. Usually for cancer patients, the beginning of this trying ordeal starts at the front door of an emergency department. Parents arrive at these doors with their sick child and the child's siblings, in a crisis state - scared, anxious and fearing the worst. Then, those fears are confirmed when the worst case scenario becomes a tragic reality with a cancer diagnosis.
This is how many families enter the unknown - and indescribably terrifying - world of cancer, and we're determined to be there at the beginning so that we can immediately start to provide those families with support and comfort. That's why we partnered with Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital to establish a new state-of-the-art emergency center for children and adults. The new center will feature a completely separate waiting and treatment area for children, and will be called the Rypien Foundation Children's Emergency Center.
By creating this specialized emergency room just for kids, not only can we make sure that their unique medical and emotional needs are being met with expert care from nurses and doctors skilled in pediatrics, we can also take away some of the fear and anxiety associated with emergency room visits. And that goes a long way toward helping these families on their road to recovery.
Children’s Cinema 
The proceeds from the 2008 Zak!Charity Open helped Sacred Heart Children's Hospital complete a long held dream of building a Children's Cinema in the hospital. The cinema will provide a place where terminally ill children can be ‘just like other kids' and go to the movies with their families. The Children's Cinema was designed with one thing in mind: to bring sick children together with friends and family in a relaxed atmosphere, and provide a distraction from the anxiety associated with cancer treatments - if only for a short respite. The large 1400 square foot space was chosen so all patients would have the opportunity to attend events in the cinema, including children in wheelchairs and hospital beds. The system features a 130" multi-format Stewart Cinecurve screen, a Planar Viper projector, a 10 terabyte Fusion Research video server and Yamaha electronics. Nineteen Speaker Craft speakers, including four 12" subwoofers, are powered by 2100 watts of power. Everything is discreetly hidden until show time when the automation takes over; the projector and speakers drop from the ceiling, the shades close and the curtain opens and The Children's Cinema montage greets young attendees and their families. The system has the integrated capability to play movies from the video server and from a Blu Ray DVD/Netflix player. It also allows young viewers to watch selected cable channels and even play video games on the large screen from an Xbox360 console. The whole system is controlled by a custom programmed RTI touch screen.
Special thanks to: Access Unlimited, Budget Blinds and CBS Outdoor Media.
IV Backpacks
There's nothing pleasant about chemotherapy. But there are ways to make it a little more tolerable - and that is where IV Backpacks come in handy. Thanks to a successful paddle raise at the recent Zak!Charity Open, the Rypien Foundation is able to supply patients at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital with IV Backpacks. These packs hold the IV pump and chemo treatments so that children can move around without being tethered to an IV pole. It might not seem like a big difference, but when chemo treatments can last for up to 3 days, it can mean the difference between laying in bed and staring at the dripping liquid, or running around with other children and forgetting about the problem that's strapped into your arm - if only for a little while.
Audiology Equipment
Proceeds from the 2007 Zak!Charity Open helped purchase new audiology equipment for Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. Many oncology patients are at risk for hearing loss due to either chemotherapy, antibiotics or other events they may experience during therapy. By having the new audiology equipment at the hospital, parents no longer have to travel to other locations for hearing tests.
Sacred Heart Children's Hopsital - Open Air Terrace
On the 3rd floor, pediatric oncology unit at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, there is a unique outdoor terrace that offers patients a chance to breathe in fresh air and enjoy a spectacular view. When the terrace was first built there were plans of creating a fun outdoor environment for patients, but those plans were put on hold. The Rypien Foundation took on this project and funded the completion. On June 18, 2008 the project was finalized and the new open air terrace was ready for families. What was once an empty space, is now a fun and healing play area complete with an official Hoopfest basketball hoop and sport court flooring. Colorful and artistic sails in the shape of tree limbs float from flagpoles and form the skyline of the terrace and create a magical feeling of being in a private treehouse high above the world. But the real power of the poles will not be the sails that they hold, but the flags that they'll fly - flags the children will make and raise into the sky telling their friends and family that they're there. And their hope is still flying high.
Hope on Wheels
In March 2006, Rypien Foundation worked in association with Hallmark Hyundai and the “Hope on Wheels” fundraiser, and donated $25,000 to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, earmarked for childhood cancer clinical research. Hyundai donated $1.6 million to childhood cancer in 2006 and recognized the Rypien Foundation as an organization that would ensure the funds are used well in our community.
KidKare Mobiles
In October 2007, the Rypien Foundation donated 20 KidKare mobiles to local hospitals. These KidKare mobiles are children’s play cars with integrated IV poles. Northern Quest was our partner as we distributed this equipment to local hospitals. Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital received a dozen cars, Holy Family received eight cars and Newport Hospital received two.