For the past five years, Giroux Glass has been an enthusiastic supporter of the California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) Foundation’s Heart of the City 5k. The annual event is usually held near our headquarters in Downtown L.A., and all proceeds benefit operation and development of this essential nonprofit hospital. It’s not only a great cause, but tons of fun, with a pedestrians-only course set through the streets of Downtown’s historic core; loads of music, treats, and giveaways; and a famed dog costume contest that always steals the show.
Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 put a wrench in this year’s plans, but the resourceful team at CHMC was not deterred. Instead of hosting an in-person, site-specific road race, they invited all teams to participate in a Heart of the City virtual event. The instructions were simple: support the cause by wearing this year’s race shirt while engaging in any form of (socially distant) exercise. This year, every participant was a winner, and no one feared qualifying for the last place, “Bed Pan” award.
Though perhaps not as outwardly celebratory as a downtown road race, the ‘event’ was still a blast for Team Giroux — even more so when we learned that 100% of this year’s proceeds will be used to fund the construction of a much-needed state-of-the-art, four-story patient care tower.
CHMC elaborates: “the hospital needs space to expand critical departments, including the only full-service trauma and emergency center in downtown and our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which cares for the tiniest, most fragile newborns. Your support will translate into life-saving care for our most vulnerable patients, including babies born prematurely, as well as children and adults of all ages facing a severe illness or injury.”
Now that’s a cause we should all be active in supporting. We hope to take it to the traffic-free streets again next year.
For more information on how you can get involved, visit the CHMC Homepage.