Joe Kainz
9/4/07
Web Assignment 1: Organization of Faith
Shriners Hospital for Children
In 1922, in Shreveport, Louisiana, a hospital was opened. This hospital, the Shriners Hospital for Children, was no ordinary hospital. Here, they specialized in the treatment of children, especially children who did not have the financial resources to get treatment elsewhere. Not only was it much cheaper at Shriners, it was completely free of charge! By 1932, there were thirteen additional Shriners hospitals. That number would eventually reach nineteen, in addition to three burn-specializing hospitals, and, more recently, a hospital that specializes in the treatment of spinal chord injury.
The Shriners trademark "tiny cars" in a parade
These hospitals first started in treating cleft lips, burns, and any other treatment a child may need. The cost of treatments such as these were very expensive, and the Shriners knew that their patients did not have medical insurance or the money to pay for the operations. There are very few patients who are refused treatment by Shriners Hospital for Children. The only requirements the children need to meet are: they are under the age of eighteen, and they are able to be treated by the doctors at the hospital.
Shriners Hospital for Children has been helping those children who are less fortunate for over eighty years. Through their treatment of cleft lips and burns, children have gained hope and confidence that they can lead normal lives without being debilitated by their injuries or malformations. Eric Clapton once said, “It ain’t about what I want, it’s about what I can give.” I find it hard to think of a organization more charitable or giving than the Shriners Hospital for Children. Not only are they giving children the medical treatment they so desperately need, the are giving them the opportunity to live normal lives.
When I was in grade school, there was a boy in the grade behind me who had a problem with his hips. He started wearing a brace in kindergarten that kept his legs straight and stiff, and wore those braces until he was in third grade. He received his treatment for his legs and hips from Shriners Hospital for Children, and he has not had a problem since, in fact he was able to make the soccer team freshman year of high school.
One of the Shriners Burn Hospitals
Nearly eighty-five years after the first hospital opened, the Shriners Hospital for Children has helped 835,000 children, free of charge. Over that period of time, the Shriners have spent over $8.2 billion on operations for children.
The official site of Shriners Hospital for Children
Video of the Shriners in their cars