Giving & Volunteering

The Alexis Verzal Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital Blessing and Donor Wall Recognition

On a warm autumn evening, Wednesday, September 29, Madonna President and CEO welcomed more than 200 guests in the colorful, all-seasons playground and thanked Dan and Cara Whitney, the Verzal Family and many other supporters who helped make the Alexis Verzal Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital possible.

The Most Reverence Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, Bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln and Madonna’s sponsor, blessed the new children’s facility. Guests learned about hospital’s unique features and state of the art equipment as they toured.

After the blessing, guests gathered in the main hospital lobby where the newly installed donor wall was revealed – a reminder to all that it takes the commitment of many to make a world-class rehabilitation a reality. The Madonna@50 Capital Campaign Chair Marg Donlan shared her appreciation of the supporters who helped raise $6.6 mission for facility renovations and new technology. NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson complimented Madonna’s national leadership in rehabilitation and inspired the audience with his challenge to “achieve great things.”

Guests were treated to facility-wide tours which included the first showing of a beautiful painted mural titled, “Hope. Charity. Faith.” by artist Jody West, sister of Cara Whitney. The celebration ended with a delicious variety of hors d’oeuvres and refreshments from Venue restaurant and live music by Keith Heckman and Jerry Solomon.