For more than 68 years, the Iroquois Steeplechase has captivated thousands of spectators from near and far with its traditions, pageantry, and the energy of the sport. Those who have made this day at the races an annual family outing or an opportunity to entertain business associates know that no other event in Middle Tennessee can match the appeal of the Iroquois.
But there is much more to the event than the races themselves. At the heart of the Iroquois Steeplechase is a cause that brings together the celebration of the past with a renewed hope for the future: the children of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Racing toward a new era
Created in 1970, the Children's Hospital pioneered the concept of a "hospital within a hospital," allowing administrative and physical autonomy, while sharing a structural facility with Vanderbilt University Medical Center to keep costs down. Today, the hospital is a key pediatric referral center for the children of Middle Tennessee, Southern Kentucky, and Northern Alabama, serving children of all ages ranging from premature newborns to 18 years of age.
Continuing the tradition of providing the best care for children throughout the region, the Children's Hospital now features a free-standing state-of-the-art facility, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Created just for children and their families, this hospital, which opened in February 2004, includes special designs and features to welcome young patients. Some of these include:
- Large patient rooms with accommodations for family members
- Patient accessible outdoor gardens
- Room service capability from the Food Court
- Children's performance area
- Play areas for patient siblings
- Business center facilities as well as kitchen and laundry access
- Convenient parking
Meeting the greatest need
The Children's Hospital's pediatric facilities and programs include the nation's first neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU), the Child Development Center, the Junior League Family Resource Center, the Tri-Delta Pediatric Oncology Program, a bone marrow transplantation unit, the Children's Surgical Pavilion, the Angel Ambulance mobile intensive care unit, and the region's only pediatric emergency department.
The hospital also has the longtime support of a volunteer organization, Friends of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. This volunteer group, 2,500 strong, works to educate the public about the services and needs of the hospital, to raise money for its operations, and to assist the hospital in its mission of continuously improving its services to children and their families.
Today the Iroquois Steeplechase is more than a sporting and social event. It is an event with a heart.
Over the past twenty-eight years, the Steeplechase has contributed more than $8,000,000 to the Children’s Hospital. These funds, which are used to serve the needs of the Children's Hospital, have helped to provide the very best specialized and critical care services to children of all ages. The Iroquois follows in the tradition of many steeplechase races across the country, raising much-needed dollars to help children and their families in our region.
For more information on the hospital visit the Web site of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.