SOUTH BEND – What started as a joke between construction workers is now bringing great happiness to the patients of Memorial Children’s Hospital.
After workers built a snowman at the site during a winter storm that caught the eye of hospital
patients, one worker joked it would be even funnier if the snowman was Waldo. Jason Haney, a foreman here at JJ White Inc., took this idea to heart and set to build an 8 foot cutout of the “Where’s Waldo” character with his daughter.
Haney moves the character to a new spot on the construction site each time his location is discovered by the children. This simple action provides a welcome respite for many pediatric patients who often spend a great deal of time at the hospital. Haney knows the importance of a positive distraction after his daughter, Riley, suffered a stroke at age 3. The time they spent at hospitals while Riley was growing up made them want to help others in the same situation.
Jason’s incredible work and desire to have a positive impact have resulted in lots of press! To read more about this story from ABC, People, The Huffington Post, and more, please visit:
ABC News: Construction Worker Plays Real-Life Game of ‘Where’s Waldo?’ With Kids in Hospital
Huffington Post: Construction Worker Hides Waldo On Site For Kids In Hospital Next Door
South Bend Tribune: Local construction foreman brings joy to children at Memorial Hospital
WSBT 22: Where’s Waldo? Construction worker cheers up children at Memorial Hospital
JJ White recently celebrated a construction milestone at Memorial Children’s Hospital when we raised the final beam into place in April. Patients and staff were invited to sign the beam in a ceremony before it was lifted. The project is scheduled to finish in the Spring of 2017.
Photos Courtesy of Heidi Prescott/Beacon Health System