Q&A with Lori Griffith

The Jupiter charity founder unveils high-tech playrooms for pediatric patients at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital

The Chasin A Dream design team, clockwise from front left: Lori Griffith, Meghan Crowley, Katie Shobel, Niki Yetman, and Michele Ruppert. Photo by J. Scott Kelly_Island Images
The Chasin A Dream design team, clockwise from front left: Lori Griffith, Meghan Crowley, Katie Shobel, Niki Yetman, and Michele Ruppert. Photo by J. Scott Kelly_Island Images

“I wanted to create a ‘pain-free zone’ for hospitalized children to have fun in and feel a sense of normalcy,” says Lori Griffith, whose Chasin A Dream Foundation is unveiling two state-of-the-art playrooms for pediatric patients this month at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital on the St. Mary’s Medical Center campus in West Palm Beach. Griffith launched her foundation in 2017 to provide personalized support to families with kids facing life-threatening illnesses and disabilities. It’s a mission that takes her to area hospitals, where she saw a critical need that was being overlooked. PBI caught up with her to discuss these new rooms and more.

PBI: How did you direct your design team to realize your vision?

Griffith: The goal was to make doctor-free zones where kids play, explore, do crafts, etc., so the spaces had to be comforting, fun, stimulating, and safe. The children’s room was relatively easy whereas the teen room required more sophisticated, interactive elements to capture the interest of older kids.

Can you talk about that, the surfing-themed teen room created by Michele Ruppert of Bungalow Palm Beach?

She did an amazing job. This room is heavy [on] tech, with an interactive/smart television, gaming stations, a basketball hoop, and air hockey table. The artwork is vibrant, with painted surfboards on the walls that were created by Claire Cohen, a Hollywood, Florida artist, paired with comfy seating for lounging and hanging out.

To create the children’s room and parents’ lounge, did the designers, Meghan Crowley and Katie Shobel of Studio Riverside, repurpose a storage area?

It’s remarkable how they transformed this tiny space. Nicknamed “The Submarine,” the room features vibrant underwater murals by North Palm Beach artist Niki Yetman, a captain’s steering wheel and control board, and an octopus mural in the adjacent outer lounge for parents and caregivers. The finishing touches are a sound machine that emits peaceful aquatic sounds and a projector that produces images of ocean waves.

What special considerations had to be made?

Everything had to accommodate wheelchairs and IV poles and have surfaces that can be easily cleaned and disinfected.

Your foundation does incredible work. Is the debut of these rooms your greatest joy?

Absolutely, especially because of the number of children we are reaching and who will stay on our radar for any additional needs. We’ve already given over $1 million in financial assistance to local families with children battling life-threatening illnesses and look forward to doing even more.

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