New Bellevue Hospital playrooms dedicated Nov. 27

Real Estate Weekly, Dec 26, 2001

Two new Children's and Teen's Playrooms that will serve thousands of hospitalized young patients receiving treatment at Bellevue Hospital Center were dedicated in memory of Irving Koven, founder of Ambassador Construction, in a ceremony held on Nov. 27 at the renowned Manhattan medical facility.

The dedication ceremony marked the culmination of an intensive six-month development process involving the Bellevue Hospital Center administration, Children of Bellevue, Inc., an independent charity within the hospital that raises funds for children's programs, The Starlight Children's Foundation NY*NJ*CT, a national charitable organization dedicated to aiding sick and disabled youngsters, Ambassador Construction, one of New York City's leading interior construction firms, and an array of sub-contractors who donated their time and materials for the $ 130,000 construction project.

"In my capacity as director of Children's Services of the Starlight Children's Foundation, I have visited many such facilities all across the nation and around the world," said Rob Zopf. "I can truly say that the new Irving Koven Children's and Teen Playrooms at Bellevue Hospital Center are world-class facilities. The fact that Bellevue is a public institution serving many children from low-income households makes this project all the more special."

The two new playrooms overlook the East River and scenic Manhattan shoreline. They are divided by large fresh water fish tank built right into the wall and the rooms include computers, entertainment systems and other equipment designed for therapeutic play, art therapy, arts and crafts, marionette making, video creation and other activities that assist with pain management and relaxation for these young patients.

The playrooms are also beneficial to the parents of these children, creating a warm environment to escape from the stresses of hospitalization and treatment regimens.

"Hospitalization interferes with the psycho-social development of a child. Parents and children alike may alternately experience emotions such as anger, fear and anxiety, particularly around separation," said Gloria Mattera, director of Bellevue's Child Life Department

How this public hospital coordinated the efforts of these charitable institutions and private companies was a chance occurrence that quickly focused on providing the greatest benefit for those most in need. When Ambassador Construction President Jay Koven was looking for a way to mark the 40th anniversary of the firm founded by his grandfather and father.

"I wanted to continue the company's long history of philanthropy, and I decided we would eschew a celebration of the event in favor of helping city children and teenagers in NYC hospitals," said Koven. "We wanted to give back something to the community that has been so good to us over the years."

Koven approached his friend Jeff Gural, chairman of Newmark & Company Real Estate, who also serves as president of the NY/NJ/CT Chapter of The Starlight Children's Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to brightening the lives of critically, chronically and seriously ill children between the ages of four and 18. One of the ways that Starlight fulfills this mission is by providing in-hospital entertainment for its patients.

Gural referred Koven to Zopf, director of Children's Services for The Starlight Foundation, who reached out to their network of contacts in hospitals throughout the tri-state area to see who was in need of construction assistance. A variety of projects were presented to Ambassador, which chose the reconstruction of the Children's and Teen's playrooms at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan.

While not the easiest of projects, Koven chose the Bellevue Children's and Teen's Playroom because it would benefit the most needy and largest number of sick children and teens on an annual basis, and best reflected the philanthropical spirit engrained in the Ambassador business philosophy developed by Koven's father, Irving Koven, to whom the completed playrooms are dedicated.

The efforts of Ambassador and Starlight were coordinated through Children of Bellevue, an independent charity within the hospital that raises funds for children's programs, working closely with Stephen Campbell of Bellevue's Child Life staff, who envisioned the playrooms as a way to ease young patients through the physical pain and anxiety of treatment. The project was presented to Dr. Wade Parks, chairman of pediatrics at Bellevue, who got the approval of the hospitals Board of Directors, clearing the way for ground-breaking for the project in April.

The $115,000 construction project was made possible by the generous contributions of Ambassador Construction and its vendors and subcontractors, including Ess and Vee Acoustical Contractors, Forest Electric, Lorraine Flooring, Steve Mark, Inc. and S & J Entrance Window Specialists, as well as funding from The Starlight Children's Foundation and Children of Bellevue.