2019 Rose Parade Participant Float Concept/Description Shriners Hospitals for Children

2019 Rose Parade Participant Float Concept/Description
Shriners Hospitals for Children
About Shriners Hospitals for Children:
Since opening our first hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1922, Shriners Hospitals for
Children® has become one of the largest, highly respected and renowned pediatric
specialty health care systems in the world, with locations in the U.S., Canada and
Mexico. Shriners Hospitals for Children owes a huge debt of gratitude to the members
of the Shriners International fraternity, who had the vision to create a health care system
that would provide high-quality care to children with complex health care needs,
regardless of the families’ ability to pay for services. The fraternity continues to support
Shriners Hospitals for Children as its official philanthropy. Fraternity members can be
found throughout the world; they share a special bond of brotherhood, and a
commitment to make the world a better place, and to improve the lives of children.
Shriners Hospitals for Children offers excellent care for orthopaedic conditions, burns,
spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Our medical facilities are places where the
only priority is the patients. The entire staff is dedicated to providing the best, most
comprehensive care it can to ensure that our patients become as healthy, active and
independent as possible. Shriners Hospitals are places where hope and healing meet,
compassion and expertise come together, and lives are changed.

The Shriners for Children Medical Center, located right here in Pasadena, is proud to
serve the children of the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. Our
outpatient medical center in Pasadena provides orthotics and prosthetics services,
ambulatory surgery, rehabilitation and primary care for a full range of pediatric
orthopaedic conditions and cleft lip and palate. The 75,000-square-foot, three-story,
state-of-the-art medical center also offers reconstructive and plastic surgeries related to
burn injuries.

Float Concept Description
Fezzy’s Garden of Hope and Healing is the theme for the 2019 Shriners Hospitals for
Children Rose Parade float and it showcases – in a colorful, gentle and positive way –
how Shriners Hospitals for Children strives to provide an encouraging, nurturing
environment where children and families can find respite, calm and emotional strength.
At Shriners Hospitals, we provide what we call “wrap-around care” – care that includes
an awareness of the overall health and well-being of our patients. At some locations,
this includes having gardens available for our patients and families. The styles and
purposes of the gardens are as diverse as nature itself, and range from quiet places, to
gardens that can be used for rehabilitative and therapeutic purposes, to actual
vegetable and herb gardens where the patients plant, grow, harvest and enjoy the end

results. Names range from “Healing Garden” to “Garden of Eatin’.” Gardens are places
of harmony, growth and renewal, or healing, which are important aspects of the goals of
Shriners Hospitals for Children.
On the float, our mascot, Fezzy® – in his seventh appearance on a Shriners Hospitals
float – and a few friends are tending the lush garden. Fezzy is admiring the vibrant
plants and beautiful flowers they have worked so hard to cultivate, and enjoying the
harmonious spirit of hope and healing found in the garden. Butterflies of all shapes,
sizes and colors have come to admire their handiwork. Joining Fezzy on the float are
Jim Cain, the leader of Shriners International, his wife, Patsy, and several other honored
and special guests, including our national patient ambassadors, Riley and Lily.
How/Why Theme was Chosen
Our entry, Fezzy’s Garden of Hope and Healing features Fezzy in the center of a
garden replete with beautiful flowers and butterflies. He holds more flowers and
butterflies, and is extending them to others on the float. The float represents the hope
and healing Shriners Hospitals for Children offers its patients, and our commitment to
helping them recover to the fullest extent possible, and go on to have full, promising
lives.
How Float Theme Relates to Parade Theme
The parade’s theme of The Melody of Life can be seen throughout our float, as it
depicts the difference a harmonious approach to care can bring to lives.
By providing comprehensive, wrap-around care, Shriners Hospitals for Children
changes lives, giving our patients the opportunity to conquer challenges, pursue their
dreams and write their own song of life. Using chords of love and care, we wrap them in
an uplifting melody of hope and healing.
We help our patients discover all they can accomplish, believe in their dreams, and
confidently pursue their goals. The parade’s theme, The Melody of Life, aligns perfectly
with our organization’s goal of ensuring that our patients fully participate in their
communities, and discover they can achieve far more than ever expected or anticipated.
At Shriners Hospitals for Children, the melody of life can be heard in the laughter of
children playing, a hospital volunteer cheerfully whistling a tune, a parent’s sigh of relief,
the hushed conversation of surgeons and nurses amidst the beeps and tones of
medical devices in the surgery room, and “Thank you” spoken in many different
languages.

The inspiring stories of our patients’ accomplishments, perseverance and courage
clearly show the difference Shriners Hospitals makes every day. The attitudes of both
Lily and Riley, our national patient ambassadors and float participants reflect the impact
of Shriners Hospitals. Lily, 18, who uses a prosthetic leg has said, “Shriners Hospitals
for Children has helped me to not see my leg as a handicap, and instead to look at it as
a challenge” Because of Shriners Medical Center, I wake up every morning thankful for
two legs instead of regretting that I only have one. I love it here and I wish I never had to
go anywhere else for medical care.”
Riley, age 16, has HME, a hereditary condition that causes irregular bone growth. He
has said, “This disorder isn’t a crutch; it isn’t an excuse. It’s a reminder of all the
amazing people I have met.”
Shriners Hospitals for Children is helping our patients sing a new song through its
patient-centered, compassionate approach to medical care. Our patients often discover
a new sense of hope and confidence, and return home able and determined to be active
participants in their homes, schools and communities, and to live their dreams.
Float Riders’ Names and Pronunciations
   1. Jim Cain, Imperial Potentate of Shriners International and Chairman of the Board
       of Directors of Shriners Hospitals for Children
   2. Patsy Cain, Jim Cain’s wife and First Lady of Shriners International
   3. George Mitchell, Past Imperial Potentate of Shriners International
   4. Deanna Mitchell, George Mitchell’s wife and former First Lady of Shriners
       International
   5. Riley Desin (DEE-SIN), 2018-2019 National Patient Ambassador
   6. Lily Silverstein (SILVER-STEEN), 2018-2019 National Patient Ambassador
   7. Shirley A. Henley – Supreme Queen, Daughters of the Nile
   8. Avery L. Brinkley – International Master Councilor, DeMolay International
   9. Trace Adkins, country music singer
   10. RJ Mitte, actor and former patient of Shriners Hospitals for Children
   11. Rachel Roitman, patient of Shriners for Children Medical Center in Pasadena
   12. Rachel Roitman’s mom or dad

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                Contact: Mel Bower
                                                                     813-233-6836
                                                                     mbower@shrinenet.org

   Shriners Hospitals for Children to participate in 130th Rose Parade
                          presented by Honda

 Float theme showcases health care system’s encouraging, nurturing environment
                                  for children

PASADENA, California — For the ninth consecutive year, Shriners Hospitals for Children® will
participate in the iconic Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. Twelve representatives will ride on the
float entitled Fezzy’s Garden of Hope and Healing. The float conveys the encouraging, nurturing
environment at Shriners Hospitals for Children where patients and families can find respite, calm
and emotional strength.

The float features Fezzy®, the lovable Shriners Hospitals mascot – in his seventh appearance on
the organization’s float – and a few friends who are tending to a lush garden. Fezzy is admiring the
vibrant plants and beautiful flowers they have worked so hard to cultivate, and enjoying the
harmonious spirit of hope and healing found in the garden. Butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colors
have come to admire their handiwork. Riding on the float are Imperial Potentate Jim Cain, and his
wife Patsy, celebrity ambassadors RJ Mitte and Trace Adkins, Shriners Hospitals patients Riley,
Lily and Rachel, and several other honored guests.

The name Fezzy’s Garden of Hope and Healing, symbolizes more than just the natural elements
on the float. Some Shriners Hospitals locations have gardens available for patients and families.
The styles and purposes of the gardens are as diverse as nature itself, and range from quiet places,
to gardens that can be used for rehabilitative and therapeutic purposes, to actual vegetable and
herb gardens where the patients plant, grow and enjoy the end results. Gardens are places of
harmony, growth and renewal, or healing, which are important aspects of the goals of Shriners
Hospitals for Children.

The Rose Parade’s theme, The Melody of Life aligns perfectly with our organization’s goal of
ensuring that our patients fully participate in their communities, and discover they can achieve far
more than ever expected. Riley, a patient at our Tampa hospital, is active in high school sports and

serves as a mentor to another patient with the same rare condition. Lily is studying to be a nurse,
and hopes to one day provide the same level of quality care and compassion to others that she
received at Shriners Medical Center in Lexington. Rachel is a high school student, but has been
taking college courses since she was 14, and has even studied abroad in Europe.

Other float riders include actor and former Shriners Hospitals patient RJ Mitte, country music singer
Trace Adkins, leadership from DeMolay International and Daughters of the Nile (two Masonic
affiliated organizations) and past leadership of Shriners International.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children float will be on display for pre-judging and float riders will be
available for media interviews starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 30, 2018, at Phoenix
Decorating Co., Rose Float Plaza South, 5400 Irwindale Ave., Irwindale, CA 91706.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system with locations in the U.S., Canada and
Mexico. Our staff is dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty
care, conducting innovative research, and offering outstanding educational programs for medical
professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthpaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and
cleft lip and palate are eligible for care regardless of the families’ ability to pay. All services are
provided in a compassionate, family-centered environment. For more information, please visit
shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.