COOK CHILDREN’S ANNOUNCES OPENING OF PANDA CARES® CENTER OF HOPE DEDICATED SPACE FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES
The Panda Restaurant Group, which includes Panda Express®, supports pediatric healthcare through its partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Cook Children’s is a proud member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and recognizes Panda Restaurant Group and its customers for their philanthropic support. The Panda Cares® Center of Hope at Cook Children’s currently supports the programming and services provided by the Child Life and Family Services department at Cook Children’s.
FORT WORTH, TX (MAY 11, 2021) – COOK CHILDREN’S is proud to announce the opening of the Panda Cares® Center of Hope, made possible by Panda Express® guests and associates, whose generosity helps change kids’ health, change the future.
Panda Express® is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals partner that supports Cook Children’s throughout the entire year. Through their philanthropic organization, Panda Cares®, they have donated over $2 million to Cook Children’s. The Center of Hope inspires hope and promotes healing by providing specially curated programs that address each child’s entire well-being, including their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs. Programs offered at the Cook Children’s Panda Cares® Center of Hope include therapeutic play, art and music therapy and family-centered care designed to give children the courage and strength to thrive.
“On behalf of Cook Children’s, I want to thank Panda Express for helping us keep our Promise to improve the health of every child through the prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury. We are extremely honored to be one of the first 10 children’s hospitals in the country to be a part of the Panda Cares Center of Hope program. What I find special about this program is that it’s focused on something that’s very important to all of us at Cook Children’s. It allows our patients to forget about everything else and just enjoy being a child. While we provide exceptional care, we never want to lose sight that we are taking care of children,” said Rick W. Merrill, President and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System. “The Panda Cares Center of Hope at Cook Children’s is dedicated to promoting healing and inspiring hope through Child Life programming and our playrooms. We want to thank Panda Express for their generosity, donating over $2 million to Cook Children’s.”
We are proud to partner with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to bring the vision of the Panda Cares® Center of Hope to life and are humbled to be able to be part of the healing journey for the families and kids at these hospitals,” said Dr. Peggy Cherng, co-founder and co-CEO of Panda Restaurant Group. “Children are our future, and we hope that through this partnership and curriculum designed to give children the strength to thrive, we will bring smiles and hope to communities nationwide.”
Funds raised in-store and online at Panda Express go towards each store’s local community. Following a multimillion-dollar commitment to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to fund Panda Cares® Centers of Hope, Panda Express® and CMN Hospitals have debuted Center of Hope locations at several hospitals in the U.S. from California and Texas to Hawaii and Washington D.C.
Since 2007, Panda Express® and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals have partnered together to change kids’ health and change the future. To date, Panda Express® has raised more than $100M for numerous CMN Hospitals, including Cook Children’s. Panda Express® guests and their associates in North Texas have raised over $2 million for Cook Children’s since 2007.
About Cook Children’s
Cook Children’s Health Care System embraces an inspiring Promise – to improve the health of every child in our communities through the prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, we’re proud of our long and rich tradition of serving our community.
Our not-for-profit organization is comprised of nine companies, including our Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health company, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan, Health Services Inc., Child Study Center and Health Foundation. With more than 60 primary, specialty and urgent care locations throughout Texas, families can access our top-ranked specialty programs and network of services to meet the unique needs of their child.
For over 100 years, we’ve worked to improve the health of children from across our primary service area of Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties. We combine the art of caring with leading technology and extraordinary collaboration to provide exceptional care for every child. This has earned Cook Children’s a strong, far-reaching reputation with patients traveling from around the country and the globe to receive life-saving pediatric care.
For more information, visit cookchildrens.org.
About Panda Express®
On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express®, an American Chinese Trailblazer, is the largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express® is best known for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express®, including the Wok Smart® selections, is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,200 locations throughout the U.S. and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to more than ten international countries. Powered by this global family of associates, Panda Cares®, the organization’s philanthropic arm, has raised more than $216 million and countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 12 million youths as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. For more information, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals that support the health of 10 million kids each year across the U.S. and Canada. Donations go to local hospitals to fund critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, along with innovative research, vital pediatric medical equipment, child life services that put kids’ and families’ minds at ease during difficult hospital stays and financial assistance for families who could not otherwise afford these health services. When we improve the health of all children and allow them the opportunity to reach their full potential, we also improve our communities for years to come. Together, we can change kids’ health. Together, we can change the future. To learn about Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and your local children’s hospital, visit cmnhospitals.org.