US Arts and Sports Foundations to Build a Children's Play "Zone" at Sheba
US Arts and Sports Foundations to Build a Children's Play "Zone" at Sheba
July 28, 2010... The "Teammates for Kids Foundation," headed by American country music star Garth Brooks, in partnership with the foundation of Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, has announced its intention to support construction and operation of a "Child Life Zone" at the Edmond & Lily Safra Children's Hospital at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Israel.
Teammates for Kids and the Troy Aikman Foundation have together built seven "Child Life Zones" at top hospitals across the United States (Oklahoma City, New York City, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, and Denver). The Zone at Sheba Medical Center will be their first international project. The decision to support the Sheba project was announced last week by Garth Brooks and Sheba Medical Center CEO Prof. Zeev Rotstein at a meeting of the Garth Brooks Foundation in Los Vegas.
The planned "Child Life Zone" at the Edmond & Lily Safra Children's Hospital at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Israel
Child Life Zones are state-of-the-art therapeutic play and educational environments for children and families that receive care within a hospital. Unique amenities include high-tech electronics and games, a multi-use theatre, performance stage, therapeutic craft and play center, and more. The multi-million dollar Sheba Zone will be housed in a unique, large glass cube to be constructed adjacent to the Edmond & Lily Safra Children's Hospital lobby, and will contain a full-fledged, professional-quality music and video recording studio, among other facilities.
"Sheba's very special global image as a 'Hospital Without Boundaries' made our decision to place the first international Zone in Israel an easy one," said Teammates for Kids Foundation President Don Johnson. "We are very impressed by the compassion and commitment that we see in Prof. Rotstein and in the Israeli people."
Phot Israel's star basketball player, Omri Caspi, joined Mr. Brooks (center) and Prof. Rotstein (second from left) at the Los Vegas meeting. They are pictured in the attached photos along with Helene Feldman, Chairman (right), and Mira Bar-Mashiah, President (left), of American Friends of Sheba Medical Center.
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Garth Brooks is certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as the Number 1 selling solo artist in US history, with well over 128 million albums sold. He is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark. During his 12-year quarterbacking career with the Dallas Cowboys, Troy Aikman set 45 team records including: 2,898 pass completions, accumulated a record-breaking 32,942 passing yards, completed 165 touchdowns, and led his club to six NFC East titles and four NFC Championship games from 1992-1995. Aikman is one of only four quarterbacks to guide his team to three Super Bowl victories.
