Are you curious about Shriners Hospitals in Greenville? Local parent and realtor, Donald Barbour, has provided the Kidding Around Greenville audience with all they need to know about the Shriners Hospital. We have included links to help you find additional information and donate to Shriners Hospitals for Children – Greenville.
Typically, I write blogs for Kidding Around Greenville that are centered around Real Estate or how to protect/improve your home. However, I want to take this time to write about a cause that’s far greater than any real estate transaction….Shriners Hospitals for Children – Greenville. Many know about the Shriners through their fez hats and notable parade appearances, but few know the true value of this organization and the importance they play in the Greenville community. I know of this importance for two reasons: (1) my Dad was a Shriner, and (2) I am a proud parent of a Shriners Kid. My daughter was born with a rare genetic disorder known as Cerebellar Hypoplasia. So, it’s with this second fact that my wife and I decided to move to Greenville and call this place home. Now I would like to take this opportunity to share this wonderful organization with you! ~Donald Barbour, Keller Williams Realty
Photo Credit to Shriners Hospital for Children
Brief History of Greenville Shriners Hospital
While the Shriners planned for 14 hospitals throughout the country to help children, they originally never planned for a hospital in South Carolina. The nearest one was Atlanta, but a Shriner from Atlanta noticed a lot of children were coming from SC and felt like a similar hospital should be here as well. After many generous donations from local business owners and Burgiss Charities, the Greenville Shriners Hospital was opened in 1927 on Pleasantburg Drive. Eventually sensing the need to expand to provide more adequate care, Greenville Shriners Hospital was relocated to West Faris Road by Greenville Memorial Hospital in the late 1980s.
What does the Greenville Shriners Hospital do?
Greenville Shriners Hospital specializes in orthopedic and neuromuscular care. The hospital provides wonderful Physical and Occupational Therapies to help children with fine/gross motor skills, balance, walking, strengthening their core, standing, etc. Many need prosthetics for their feet or legs. When you have examinations or testing, you often can get the results within a day or even minutes. Their doctors and state of the art equipment is second to none. Patients are treated very special there; often as if they’re family. Families come to this hospital from a number of nearby states. In many cases, volunteer Shriners drive these patients and their families in vans for hundreds of miles just to receive this care. The Shriners have gone above and beyond in renovating hospital rooms to emulate the comforts of home or an upscale hotel room. They also provide patients and their families with a number of activities like video games, a pool table, ping pong, toys, etc. This reiterates a sense of care and family within the hospital.
Photo Credit to Shiners Hospital for Children
Who Pays for the Care?
Shriners Hospitals for Children offer expert pediatric care, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. This is where the public can be very helpful. Because the Shriners as a whole don’t do a lot of advertising for donations, many people never realize the importance to giving to the hospital and the benefits it provides. When considering different organizations to donate to each year, please consider our local Greenville Shriners Hospital. Simply go to www.greenvilleshrinershospital.org and click the “Donate” button near the top right corner.
Photo credit to Shriners Hospital for Children
First-hand Experience
I’ve seen first-hand that the money donated from the public is put to good use. Whether it’s to go towards surgeries, prosthetics, equipment for children, or therapies, it’s all money well spent. Several months ago, they even began a karate class for the Shriners Kids complete with their own karate gis and belts. Just this class alone has helped to improve my daughter’s balance, strength, and confidence. At age 5, she can now take 10-15 steps without assistance and stand on her own for over a minute. I’ve noticed improvements with all of the other kids as well.
If you know of any families moving to the area (like mine did) and need assistance with getting information on Greenville Shriners Hospital or other services in the area, then feel free to contact me. I don’t mind helping them out, and also helping in finding them a new place to call home. Feel free to call me at 864-704-0006 or contact me through my site at www.ThatGreenvilleAgent.com. The Upstate truly has a diamond in the rough with this hospital, so let’s all make sure that it will continue to be beneficial to families well into the future.
You can learn more about this great organization at the link provided above. You can also “Like” their Facebook page. Also, check out this video produced by the Hospital.
Donald Barbour, Keller-Williams Realty
Thank you for this! We travel to Greenville every 9 weeks from Va for my daughter’s scoliosis treatment. They are truly special people and we are very fortunate to call it our second home.
We have been going to Shriners since our son was 11 days old. He has bilateral clubfoot so they have been putting casts on his feet and legs to correct the way they are growing. Im so thankful for the special people who are a part of Shriners Greenville! All the people make a difference…you know they care and they truly do feel like they’ve become family! God bless the Shriners and all they do!
Thank you for this article! My Shriners Kid is now 7 years old and still going strong with the Shriners Hospital! My son, Joseph, was born with bilateral clubbed feet. We have been with Dr. Westberry from the first day! The Shriners Hospital has gone above and beyond for my son and our family and I cannot express how much respect and love I have for this organization!!
Shriner’s has been wonderful to my daughter!