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| “Talo” inspiration collage courtesy of Brizo |
In mid July, I was one of almost 100 design bloggers who traveled from across the country to see how Brizo products are made. We toured the Delta Faucet plant in Jacksonville, Tennessee, and saw first hand the care and quality control that backs every product that leaves their factory. Brizo is the luxury division of this American company, a leader in faucet innovation since 1954.
photo courtesy Brizo
The generous folks at Brizo coordinated this all-expense paid trip and invited their former New York Fashion Week design bloggers (nicknamed the Blogger19) to attend. I was a member of their most recent Blogger19 group last February (see post here). During our NY based focus groups, we were introduced to the concepts behind the designs of Brizo products. For this special reunion event, we were again introduced to new product offerings (which I will share later) but we were also there for a very important project ...
“Design and Decorate with Brizo” a blogger and patient activity
photo courtesy Brizo
Our trip started in Memphis, with a visit to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the world’s premier pediatric cancer research center, founded by internationally known entertainer Danny Thomas back in 1962. Why did a faucet company take a bunch of design bloggers to visit a children’s hospital? Brizo has been a proud sponsor of St. Jude since 2010, and they wanted to share with us why St. Jude is so special. We spent the day touring the St. Jude campus, and what we left with was a feeling of hope and optimism. This is a very special place that allows children being treated for pediatric cancer (and their families) to dream of a healthy future.
Brizo Marketing Director Brian Nobbe welcomes us to St. Jude.
photo courtesy Brizo
A family shares the story of the care they received while at St. Jude.
photo courtesy Brizo
Artwork throughout St. Jude is optimistic, showing children in all
stages of treatment enjoying every day life and just being a kid.
Bikes lined up under the shade for patients to take a spin on good days.
A universally designed play structure with tented protection from the sun.
A bright and cheerful apartment in Target House where families stay for free
while undergoing long-term treatments at St. Jude Research Hospital.
Also at Target House, a great room where families and patients can unwind.
The Odin by Brizo
Brizo was the first National sponsor of the “St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway” program which raises funds for research and treatments at St. Jude. Brizo provides fixtures and furnishings for these newly built homes, homes built with donated materials and labor, which are later raffled off – at $100 per ticket – to one lucky winner. Programs like the Dream Home Giveaway and donations averaging just $30 per person, help keep the doors of St. Jude open for children who require critical cancer treatment. Treatment that they receive for FREE for as long as they need it.
The mission of founder Danny Thomas was that “no child should die in the dawn of their life.” Since St. Jude first started to conduct pediatric cancer research, U.S. childhood cancer survival rates have gone from 20% to 80%, with some forms of cancer reaching a 94% survival rate. Research developments uncovered by the joint efforts of their team of research scientists and medical staff are shared freely around the globe.
Target House is furnished by the generous donations of individuals, companies,
and even celebrities like Brad Paisley, Amy Grant, and Shaun White.
photo courtesy Brizo
It may have taken a faucet company to get us there, but after touring the hospital and patient/family living centers on the St. Jude campus, it was clear to all of us design bloggers that the success of this research community is based on the dedication of each and every person on staff, from the administration to food service to nurses to doctors and so many others. The entire St. Jude team is fully committed to creating a hopeful experience for the children and families that they treat there. Equal credit goes to the numerous donors who support the work of this positive healing environment. It costs around $1.8 million a day to run St. Jude. Public donations cover 75% of these operating expenses.
To learn more about the partnership between Brizo and St. Jude, watch this video. To discover ways to help, click here.
