NEW ORLEANS – Children’s Hospital New Orleans and nonprofit group Kids Join the Fight have announced plans to build a 12,000-square-foot enrichment center located on the hospital’s main campus. The center will be named ‘Walker’s Imaginarium’ in memory of Walker Beery, who launched Kids Join the Fight before succumbing to pediatric brain cancer in September 2021.
The estimated $10 million project will provide a therapeutic space for patients and families to “thrive, find joy and enjoy time together while in the hospital,” said a hospital spokesperson. Officials hope to break ground on the 18-month construction project starting by the end of 2023.
“Walker’s Imaginarium will enhance each patient’s care and provide joyful moments while these families navigate their healthcare journey,” said Taylor Beery, father of Walker. “Walker wanted better for every child who has to face a tough diagnosis. This place will provide moments of joy and normalcy that these children and their families so highly value and so deeply deserve.”
The Imaginarium, which was designed in partnership with EskewDumezRipple, features a first floor entry adjacent to the hospital’s main concourse and inpatient tower. It’s intended to provide easy access for patients and families to explore two floors of interactive exhibit space. The space also includes a covered outdoor area with wrap-around porch, a multipurpose room, a recording studio and an enclosed outdoor space on the ground level for animal encounters.
“Being in a hospital setting can be scary for any child,” said John R. Nickens IV, president and CEO at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “We believe that children learn and heal through play, and we must meet them where they are. This project does just that – delivering a playful and energizing environment that will create more positive healthcare experiences. That’s what our partnership with Kids Join the Fight is all about.”
The Imaginarium is designed to create opportunities for sick and well children to “safely interact, engage, and support one another through empathy and encouragement, including siblings, families, friends, visiting groups and the community.” A campaign steering committee has already raised more than $4 million for the project, including $1 million from Boysie and Joy Bollinger.
“The missions of Kids Join the Fight and Children’s Hospital are near and dear to my heart, and Joy and I are proud to support the vision of Walker’s Imaginarium,” said Boysie Bollinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Bollinger Enterprises. “I encourage others to join the fight by considering a gift to help make this incredible project a reality for the children of our community who are treated here at Children’s Hospital.”
Children’s Hospital New Orleans, which recently completed a $300 million transformation of its main campus in New Orleans, is backed by more than 600 pediatric-trained providers and partnerships with LSU Health New Orleans and Tulane University School of Medicine. Children’s Hospital also operates clinics across Louisiana and the Gulf South, including 12 primary care clinics and nine specialty clinics from Lake Charles to Bay St. Louis, Miss.
This story was updated on Sept. 28 with additional details about timeline and budget.
