Shriners Children’s Erie opened its doors on Sunday for its annual Shriners Day celebration, welcoming families and community members for an afternoon of entertainment, tours, and education.

“We’re so excited to welcome everyone, Shriners, their ladies, the community, to see an open house where they get to hear from our patients, and hear from the families and the directors of each department,” said David Schumacher, the Senior Director of Philanthropy for Shriners Children’s Erie.

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Visitors attending the open house enjoyed family activities and learned more about the services available for children with orthopedic conditions and injuries. While the event offered plenty of activities for families, organizers said the real goal was giving the community a closer look at the care that happens every day, and appreciating the people who help make it happen.

“Not a lot of people know exactly how Shriners works. Shriners Children’s Erie is a nonprofit, we’re an organization that provides care for children regardless of the family’s ability to pay, and if it wasn’t for our amazing donors like the Shriners, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do today,” said Izzy Spires, the marketing and communications specialist for Shriners Children’s Erie.

“The Shriners, we really honor the drivers today. We get to highlight them, we give them a thank you gift for all they do to get our patients here for treatment from all over the country,” said Schumacher.

The Erie location serves families across Pennsylvania and several surrounding states, providing specialized pediatric orthopedic care, therapy and rehabilitation services. One patient ambassador, Chayse Kubecki, said Shriners has helped him with their life-changing care.

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“I used to rotate all the time when I was trying to walk, so I’d basically do like a full 360, and eventually, after therapy helped, we made some adjustments in therapy for a little bit, did therapy at school and now I’m walking like an actual human,” said Kubecki.

For many visitors, the open house offered a firsthand look at the resources helping young patients grow, move and thrive. 

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