Bancroft Rides with St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House

Saturday night the famed estate of John Sanfilippo was alive with the sounds of historic carousels, orchestrions, and other joyful noises of America’s industrial revolution in support of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  The event, hosted by the Sanfilippo Foundation brought together business and medical leaders from around the country to raise money for pediatric care and research.

With its large and growing portfolio of work providing design to the leading medical research hospitals across the country, Bancroft Architects + Engineers had a strong presence at the gala.  “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” said Bancroft founder and president, Paul Jenkins.  “It’s one of the events on the calendar where 100% the money raised goes to support pediatric care charities.”

Bancroft Architects + Engineers recently completed the design and administration of the construction of groundbreaking new pediatric care research laboratories for the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.  “This event is a showcase for the humanity behind the medicine,” said Jenkins.  “It’s easy to talk about evidence-based design, but an event like this affords us the opportunity to be hands-on and interact informally but directly in a fun environment with patients and their families, as well as the caregivers at the leading pediatric centers.”

The evening culminated with donors riding on the historic Eden Palais Carousel on the grounds of the estate.  Donors were given a targeted fundraising goal and their cell phones before boarding the carousel and weren’t allowed off the ride until they’d met their goal.  “I wish more of my friends were home on Saturday nights,” laughed Jenkins.  Through the efforts of Jenkins and the other 200 attendees the event raised the targeted $150,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House.