News Release
March 14, 2008“A Weekend of Groundbreaking Events” honored by PRSA
Celebrating the groundbreaking of a new hospital can be fun, inviting and community focused. It can also be award-winning.
The Puget Sound Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has recognized Franciscan Health System and JayRay with a Totem Award for their “weekend of free groundbreaking events” that commemorated the start of construction for St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor.
Franciscan and JayRay, both located in Tacoma, earned top honors for special events among associations and nonprofit organizations. The award was presented at the PRSA gala on Feb. 20 in Seattle.
"After a series of delays in building St. Anthony Hospital, it was important for us to announce to the Gig Harbor community that their new hospital was on its way," said Budd Wagner, vice president of marketing and communications for Franciscan Health System. "JayRay worked closely with us to put together a trio of free community events — events that invited our community to Run! Roar! and Soar! with the new hospital.”
Nearly 4,000 Peninsula residents attended at least one of the groundbreaking events held in April 2007, which included a 5K run and walk, two packed performances of “Late Nite Catechism” and an afternoon of soulful music.
Prior to the public events, more than 200 people attended the VIP groundbreaking ceremony conducted indoors – safe from the muddy construction site — and highlighted with a blessing by Archbishop Alex J. Brunett of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
JayRay served as the event coordinator for the community celebrations and also oversaw advertising, direct mail and other promotional efforts for the series of special events.
As part of the groundbreaking events, the hospital also announced a $1.5 million gift from George F. Russell Jr. Fund at The Russell Family Foundation to help create the Jane Thompson Russell Cancer Care Center at St. Anthony. When it opens at St. Anthony Hospital, the Center will offer complete cancer care including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, complimentary therapies and an on-site reflection garden.
St. Anthony Hospital, which is being built in Gig Harbor North, will begin providing life-saving emergency, medical and surgical services in early 2009.
As the first and only full-service hospital on the Peninsula, St. Anthony will bring much-needed medical services to the rapidly growing region. It will feature 24-hour emergency care; medical, surgical and critical care units; a heart catheterization and vascular lab; diagnostic imaging services; inpatient and outpatient surgery; physical, occupational and speech therapies; and a medical office building for doctors’ offices and outpatient services.