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November 17, 2010
The Orange County Credit Unions for Kids Advisory Board, formed by members of the local credit union community dedicated to increasing support for CHOC Children’s, has pledged $100,000 to the “Change CHOC, Change the World” campaign. Their gift will support the playful teddy bear statues in the outdoor play area of CHOC’s seven-story patient care tower, set to open on the Orange campus in Spring 2013.
The two statues, inspired by CHOC’s beloved mascot Choco bear, each weigh approximately 1,000 pounds and stand at about six feet in height. They will be placed in the outdoor play area on the new tower’s second floor. The outdoor play area will occupy more than 3,000 square feet of space, and is designed to provide a positive distraction for patients and their families.
The Orange County Credit Unions for Kids Advisory Board was only recently formed, but has quickly garnered the support of local credit unions. Referring to this recent gift, the board’s chairwoman Shruti Miyashiro, president and CEO of Orange County’s Credit Union, says, “With the collaboration of local credit unions, we are pleased to raise funds in support of CHOC’s new tower, and specifically the adorable bear statues in the outdoor play area. We are delighted to be a part of something that will continue to bring comfort to pediatric patients and their families.”
About “Change CHOC, Change the World”
Launched in Spring 2010, the “Change CHOC, Change the World” campaign is a comprehensive fund-raising campaign intended to transform the future of CHOC and, with it, the future of Orange County. More specifically, the campaign will help CHOC to become a sustainable world-class pediatric institution by building a state-of-the-art facility; building a substantial endowment to support recruiting more of the world’s top pediatric experts, while continuing to foster an environment of innovation and discovery; and building upon the academic and research affiliation with UC Irvine and its School of Medicine. The CHOC Children’s Foundation’s goal is to raise $125 million for the campaign by July 2013. For more information, visit http://www.choc.org/changetheworld/.
About CHOC Children's: Named one of the best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report (2013-2014), CHOC Children's is exclusively committed to the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients. Affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, CHOC’s regional healthcare network includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several primary and specialty care clinics, a pediatric residency program, and four centers of excellence - The CHOC Children’s Heart, Neuroscience, Orthopaedic and Hyundai Cancer Institutes. CHOC earned the Gold Level CAPE Award from the California Council of Excellence, the only children’s hospital in California to ever earn this distinction, and was awarded Magnet designation, the highest honor bestowed to hospitals for nursing excellence. Recognized for extraordinary commitment to high-quality critical care standards, CHOC’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is the first in the United States to earn the Pediatric Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence.
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Media Contact:
Denise Almazan, Director of Public Relations
phone: (714) 509-8680
email: pr@chocchildrens.org
Children's Hospital of Orange County | 
University of California, Irvine