2023 Helpful Heroes Honored at Ace Award Ceremony
The first Ace Helpful Heroes award ceremony was held in November to celebrate and honor seven nurses and three child life specialists from across all of Lurie Children’s and Almost Home Kids. The Helpful Heroes program was established by Ace Hardware to recognize the demanding work of nurses and child life specialists at our organization.
Parents, patients, volunteers, and employees submitted over 80 nominations reviewed by a panel of Ace Hardware employees. The event served as a moment to honor the 2023 Helpful Heroes and provide recognition of Ace Hardware for their support of the annual program.
In celebration of the hard work and dedication of our Helpful Heroes, a reception was held on November 1 at the Woodwind, Birch Room at Northwestern Lavin Pavilion. Congratulations to the honorees:
- Angela Harriel-Jenkins, Registered Nurse II Transplant
- Bianca Lucio, Centralized Access Nurse, Kids Doc
- Cecilia Gonzalez, Certified Child Life Specialist, Cardiac Care Unit
- Ellie Stromberg, Registered Nurse II, HemOnc
- Geanine Hunt, Certified Child Life Specialist, Northbrook Procedural Services
- Kawana Mitchell, Manager Patient Care Operations, Surgical Services
- Leah Hoelscher, Certified Child Life Specialist, MINT
- Megan Barzallo, Registered Nurse I, Ambulatory
- Stephanie O'Brien, Advance Practice Nurse II, Ambulatory Infusion Center
- Yolanda Rivera, Nursing Professional Development Specialist, Almost Home Kids
“These 10 hardworking team members we have gathered to celebrate not only demonstrate clinical excellence, but they also exemplify the values and principles of our hospital," said Tom Shanley, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, during his remarks at the Helpful Heroes celebration event. “They are the ones their colleagues look up to for leadership and dedication to the patients and families we are grateful to serve.”
He continues, “As you walk the halls of Lurie Children’s, you will find recognition of Ace’s 32 years of support in several different places – from the Ace Hardware Inpatient Unit on the 17th floor at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders to the Ace Hardware and Robbie Gould Patient and Family Library. When we approached Ace with the idea to establish a recognition program to honor the incredible people who make Lurie Children’s the world-class children’s hospital that it is, we were incredibly grateful that they immediately and passionately said yes. How fitting that the ‘helpful hardware folks’ stepped up in such a large way to support our hospital’s heroes, in creating this annual program to support the professional development and well-being of nurses and child life specialists at Lurie Children’s and Almost Home Kids.”
