by Paige Turner
Premier Parking is teaming up with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to create custom Children’s Hospital signage that will feature patient artwork and be displayed in seven select parking lots throughout downtown Nashville.
Children’s Hospital and Premier Parking hosted a kickoff event at Seacrest Studios on Tuesday, July 31, where they announced the new collaboration and gave patients the opportunity to create artwork to submit for the project.
“All of us at Premier Parking are so excited about this unique partnership,” said Lisa Sprouse, vice president of marketing for Premier Parking. “This opportunity for us to become involved with Children’s Hospital and to do something truly special and fun for the kids is incredibly meaningful to our entire team. We can’t wait to see what the kids come up with for the signage contest and get their designs into production for the parking lots.”
The seven Premier Parking lot locations are leased from the family of former Central Parking CEO and longtime champion for Children’s Hospital, Monroe J. Carell Jr., who died in 2008. Carell kickstarted the fundraising efforts to build Middle Tennessee’s first and only freestanding children’s hospital — named in his honor and opened in 2004.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Premier Parking has chosen to collaborate with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt,” said Kathryn Carell Brown on behalf of her sisters, Julie Carell Stadler and Edie Carell Johnson, daughters of the late Monroe J. Carell Jr. and Ann Scott Carell. “My parents really loved this hospital and cared deeply about the children and families who came here for care. This amazing opportunity for the patients helps spread awareness of the hospital in our community.”
The custom signage is slated to be installed later this year and will remain on display until 2023. The goal of the project is to help bring joy to patients in the hospital by providing an additional opportunity for artistic self-expression.