Gary's Locker is Launched

On Friday, July 27th Gary's Locker was officially launched in the main lobby of St.Vincent Children's Hospital.

Johnny Smith, Public Relations Manager for St.Vincent Health welcomed the more than 100 guests. An overview of Gary Brackett's IMPACT Foundation was given by St.Vincent's Health Director of O/P Program Development and IMPACT Foundation Executive Board Member Scott Benedict. Scott spoke to everyone about St.Vincent's commitment to the IMPACT Foundation and the IMPACT Foundations' commitment to tackle prevalent issues associated with children who have Cancer.

Gary was met with a warm welcome as he approached the podium. He spoke about how he was deeply impacted by the little faces he saw while visiting his brother in the hospital who was then fighting his own battle with cancer. Gary spoke about how he made it his personal goal to someday make children's fight against cancer easier. He talked about how a positive outlook helps people get through tough situations, and by providing the locker he hopes to add joy to these children's lives. The Locker will provide each child with a welcome package consisting of an autographed picture of Gary Brackett, a Colts hat and an IMPACT Foundation T-shirt. He informed us about how the Locker will provide children with the use of interactive electronic games, toys and books to play with while undergoing treatment.

Dr. Joanne Hilden, Vice President of Medical Affairs at St.Vincent Children's Hospital spoke about the fight that these children endure on their pathway to wellness. It is a very hard journey that some of these children are faced with. Just as Gary said a positive attitude is important, and Gary wants to keep the children's spirits high during such a demanding time in their lives.

Johnny Smith finished with a few meaningful thoughts and ushered the group into the pediatric cancer center for ribbon cutting. Gary cut the ribbon and soon after was immediately drawn to the children and their enthusiasm. As we watched Gary show the children the locker contents, you can see his compassion and genuine concern for the needs of these children.

We would like to thank Hewlett Packard, Best Buy and Microsoft for their generous support. With their assistance in making this possible, Gary's Locker will provide St.Vincent Children's Hospital cancer and blood disease patients with gifts, and an educational experience during their hospital visit.