Final Beam Lifted Into Place At Doylestown Health's Children's Village

DOYLESTOWN, PA — As youngsters chanted "Lift That Beam, Lift That Beam," construction workers moved a giant steel beam into place, completing the steel framework at the new Children's Village taking shape on Doylestown Hospital’s flagship campus.

The moment, in a word, was "incredible," said Jim Brexler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Doylestown Health, who literally beamed with pride as the hospital and the greater Doylestown community celebrated as the final beam, signed by hundreds of children, associates, donors and community members, took its place in the steel framework.

Just two short years ago in August 2020, the scene was far different. Teachers and youngsters were fleeing for their lives after an EF2 tornado, spawned by the remnants of hurricane Isaias struck the building.

Maggie Ainslie, the hospital's director of pastoral care, was on campus that day. "My experience was nothing like the experience of the teachers, the children and the rescuers. But it is an amazing thing today to get to stand here and mark the rebuilding, the beam topping off and the next step in restoring Children's Village as one village together."

Brexler also recalled that day. "It was on this driveway that we ran around and made sure all the kids were safe. We carried children back and forth ... Those heroic teachers were incredible and those students were amazing. They were like little ducklings following their teachers. Not a single person was injured or hurt in that event thanks to the teachers and to the incredible first responders serving this community.

"Now, here we are, beaming with pride," said Brexler, using a play on words to describe the moment.

"It may seem like a short amount of time to design and build a new children's center but it's a long time to have kids in temporary facilities and spread apart. We were absolutely blessed that when that tornado hit that in less than a week we had kids back in the classrooms. We didn't miss a beat," he said. "But it's time to bring our kids home."

"This gets us one step closer to bringing Children's Village back home to the Doylestown Hospital campus," said Marianne Chabot, who chairs the boards of Doylestown Hospital and the Doylestown Health Foundation. "The purpose of the beam signing and the topping off ceremony is to celebrate the completion of the steel construction. We are also surrounded by evergreens. The evergreen is a symbol of positive things - good luck for future occupants and continued growth - all very fitting as we continue toward the next stage of rebuilding Children's Village."

Barb Hebel, the vice president and chief human resources officer at Doylestown Health, said when she came to work that August morning in 2020 "never in my wildest dreams did I expect what would happen, that we would be hit by a tornado. On that morning many of us were just going about our normal routines and while we had wind and rain, the tornado that spawned off of the hurricane was not something any of us ever expected. In a matter of minutes the landscape of campus was changed forever.

"While the bricks and mortar of the center were severely damaged, we were blessed that day," Hebel continued. "We were blessed because we came together as a team to ensure that every single one of those children went home that night with their parents and back to their loving arms. Now just two years later we are well on our way to building a new facility that will match our standards for excellence, reputation and a nationally-accredited child education center. We are committed to providing early childhood education and daycare within easy reach of the Doylestown Health Care facility. This is a priceless benefit for our associates and our community members.

"While the steel's in place and progress is made we will begin to see this great 30,000 square foot facility come alive," she continued. "The new Children's Village is building on what we previously had but it's also expanding to new educational opportunities for these young children of our future generations."

Hebel joined Brexler in thanking all the donors and supporters who have made the new center a reality, but they especially thanked benefactors Jeanne and John Hubbard. "They reached out to us and said, 'What is it that we can do?' And for that, we will be eternally grateful," said Hebel.

Jeanne told the gathering they were away when the storm hit in 2020. "A friend texted us to say that the Children's Village had been hit by a tornado. The next day we called and offered our assistance on the rebuild.

"The reconstruction of the Children's Village is very important to us," said Jeanne. "John and I have tried to live our lives by the quote, 'There is no such thing as someone else's child.' This is part of our legacy," she said. "And this is why we give. Thousands of hours have been poured into all aspects of the design with safety for the children and teachers the first priority.

"We teach our children to dream big," added Jeanne. "We give so they can continue to dream big and have the best possible start in the educational process. John and I keep that feeling very close to our hearts. We hope all of you are inspired by our hopes, our dreams and our commitment to this endeavor."

To honor the construction of the new building and to serve as a symbolic example of something wonderful created out of disaster, Helen Hammes, President of the Village Improvement Association, presented a wooden bowl carved by local artisan Lloyd Moyer, of Moyer Turnings, from a cherry tree felled by the tornado. "It's just another example of how beauty can rise from destruction," she said.

The new and upgraded 30,000 square foot facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2023. It will feature four infant rooms, four young toddler rooms, three older toddler rooms, four preschool rooms and one kindergarten room.

It will also feature a multipurpose area for gatherings, assemblies, and physical activities; dedicated library space with a climbable ‘treehouse’; separate interactive playgrounds for younger and older children including a learning garden and splash pad; and a tech-equipped and kindergarten room.

Other features include a dedicated art room and teaching kitchen; an administrative suite for teachers, staff, and care professionals; low-impact environmental building design with optimized natural light; an integrative classroom environment and dedicated learning space; and enhanced safety and security.

Here are some quick facts about the childhood center:

• Children’s Village is an integral part of the Doylestown Health System and the community.

• The former Children’s Village early childhood education center operated on the hospital campus for 35 years before it was destroyed by an EF2 tornado during Hurricane Isaias in August 2020.

• Doylestown Health announced that rebuilding would be a new priority of "ONE VISION: The Campaign for Doylestown Health." Demolition took place in November 2021.

• In December 2021, Doylestown Health held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Children’s Village now being rebuilt on the Doylestown Hospital campus. A fall 2023 opening is planned.

• An early commitment from One Vision campaign committee members and longstanding supporters Jeanne and John Hubbard, Ph.D., chairman, Signant Health, as well as early support from the community in response to their challenge match will help bring Children’s Village home to its original location on the Doylestown Hospital campus.

• Honorary Chairs of "ONE VISION: The Campaign for Doylestown Health" and generous benefactors, Pat and Alex Gorsky, Executive Chairman, Johnson & Johnson, invested significant support for Children’s Village.

• The Village Improvement Association of Doylestown (VIA) and Commonwealth grant funding from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) helped accelerate the construction of the new facility.