Peregrine Charities is thrilled to announce 2007 grant recipients. This was our first grant cycle under our new mission that allows us to fund research into rare pediatric diseases and help children while hospitalized or seeking medical treatment.

We are honored to be partners in care for kids with such wonderful medical facilities.

Allen Memorial Hospital
Waterloo, Iowa
Allen Foundation received grant money for a pediatric and multi-use room for Allen Memorial Hospital’s new emergency department, which will open in 2009. As part of the current Promises to Keep Campaign, this grant will fund equipment, furnishings and decor scaled to serve the unique needs of over 6,000 children in an emergency situation every year. “Allen Hospital serves more emergency patients than any other hospital in the Cedar Valley,” said Rick Seidler, Allen president and CEO. “We know how important it is for them to feel safe and secure while we care for them. Kids and parents alike will appreciate the extra comforts the Peregrine Charities gift will let us build into our new emergency room facilities for kids.”
Amount Awarded: $50,000
Date Awarded: December 2007

Mercy Medical Center
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Mercy Medical Center Foundation was given a grant for renovation, equipment, and supplies to aid with pediatric emergencies in a new emergency department currently under construction at Mercy Medical Center. These child-friendly areas will create more access and efficiency when responding to pediatric emergencies. The new waiting areas and private patient exam rooms will be designed to create a more child-friendly environment. The grant will provide funding for distraction strategies such as a virtual aquarium, dvd players and movies as well as child-sized furniture, rocking chairs and artwork that appeals to children. “The Peregrine Charities grant will make the Emergency Department a more comfortable space for our young patients,” says Dr. Mark Pospisil, director of Mercy’s Emergency Department. “It has certainly been one of our goals to create a pediatric-focused area where we can most effectively provide acute care.”
Amount Awarded: $50,000
Date Awarded: December 2007

University of Iowa Children's Hospital
Iowa City, Iowa
University of Iowa Children's Hospital was awarded two grants directed through the University of Iowa Foundation. A grant of $100,000 establishes the Peregrine Charities Discovery Fund for support of research into rare pediatric diseases being conducted in the UI Department of Pediatrics. A second grant is for expansion of the pediatric palliative care program at UI Children’s Hospital to care for young people facing life-threatening or chronic illness and to provide educational resources for care givers state-wide. "We are honored to partner with Peregrine Charities in its quest to improve the lives of children. This exceptional and visionary support will enable us to attack childhood illnesses on two major fronts; research into the basis of rare diseases and expanded services for children and families facing the consequences of these devastating conditions, “commented Dr. Michael Artman, Professor and Head, UI Department of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief, UI Children’s Hospital.
Amount Awarded: $150,000
Date Awarded: December 2007

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare
Waterloo & Cedar Falls, Iowa
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare received funding to establish the Sew Angelic surgical hat program which offers children a personalized hat before surgery. A portion of this grant will also create a child-friendly exam room in the Sartori Memorial Hospital emergency department that sees over 1,500 children each year and will also allow for the purchase of pediatric mannequins for training of emergency staff. “We are very pleased to have Peregrine Charities as a partner in the community,” says Jack Dusenbery, President and CEO of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa. “We value their support of health care initiatives in the Cedar Valley and we thank them for helping us to deliver exceptional and compassionate care for children.”
Amount Awarded: $15,000
Date Awarded: December 2007