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Nestled among the soaring stone and glass towers of the ever-expanding Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is a tranquil rooftop garden with more than 1,900 plants and 19 ornamental trees. |
In June, the South Side medical complex at Oklahoma and 27th opened its $4.9 million, 14,000-square-foot “Healing Garden.” There, patients and visitors are greeted by a mural of a sycamore tree, symbolic of healing. An indoor conservatory is encircled by a garden of deciduous trees, evergreen shrubs, fragrant perennials, 400 tropical plants and several water features.
The garden, the first of its kind in Wisconsin, was 100 percent donor-funded, including $1.7 million from Agnes and Moreland Hamilton, $1.5 million from the Vince Lombardi Charitable Funds, and many smaller donations.
Cassie Crawford, a registered nurse in the medical/surgical unit, is convinced it helps recovery and encourages patients to visit. “Nature can support healing,” she says.
Christian Barry, president of the Lombardi organization, agrees. “While Vince Lombardi was receiving treatment for cancer, he had a window that looked out onto a football field,” he says. “Being able to see the world, unconfined by four walls, brought light to some of his darkest days.”
Don Tendick Jr. heard about the project in 2003 when his wife, Kathy, was at Aurora St. Luke’s for surgery. They made a donation. Three years later, Kathy was back at the hospital for another serious operation and Don, after seeing little progress had been made, got more involved, becoming chairman of the design committee and a major financial donor.
The Tendicks helped drive the project, says Russ Hinz, chief philanthropy executive for Aurora St. Luke’s. “Without their leadership it would have been more difficult.”Ann Hartberg’s mother and sister were recently patients: One was a transplant recipient on the fourth floor, the other was the donor staying on the 11th. “We would meet in the garden,” says Ann. It was not only beautiful, she adds, but also a welcome diversion. “It was so nice to talk about something other than kidneys and medications.”
