Visit To St Jude "Target House" with Brizo Blogger19

Did you know what this is?  Here's a clue...it's a main tool utilized by artists like Brad Paisley.  Guitar picks, right? Why am I talking about guitar picks?  To get your attention! Why am I talking about Brad Paisley?  He is one of several celebrities who have sponsored rooms in the St Jude Target House.  Target House is a long term lodging facility, where one family member and child can stay if the child requires more than 90 days of medical care at St Jude.  Target house is named for its generous sponsor, Target!  Brad Paisley's room was an interesting curation of items befitting the country music singer.  Paisley along with Shaun White, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Scott Hamilton, Amy Grant, Sean Conway Jonas Brothers and Tony Thomas have all been instrumental in providing the furnishings for the rooms at Target House.  

The guitar picks from above are the decorative center
 of the table in the room.

Via

The room is a reflection of Paisley's music and style which is "down home country".  He even painted the painting above the mantle.  The main conversation piece in the room had to be the guitar chandelier. 

I think I can comfortably say this chandelier is one of a kind.  It was created with eight of Brad Paisley's guitars.

Via

One corner in the Paisley room pays homage to the singers music industry's accolades and pictures of his family. 

  

Now that I have your attention let's take a quick tour of

 Target House beginning with the exterior. 

Designer Sean Conway designed the outdoor spaces at Target House. 

Everywhere you look, there are pretty flowers and outdoor seating, so families can rest and enjoy the outdoors.  This is so important when spending stressful days inside the hospital.  There are spaces for kids to play while parents watch in a tranquil environment. St Jude does everything possible to provide places of respite for their patients and families.  

 

Via

The outdoor pavilion was sponsored by the
 Tiger Woods Foundation

 

There is an outdoor playground for the kids.

The Tiger Woods Foundation also sponsored the library.  This was the first charitable sponsorship by the foundation.  Woods memorabilia decorates the room.  Tiger's signature red is part of the decor.

There are so many private and corporate sponsors of The Target House Rooms. Each room has a sponsor badge such as the one below:

There are so many rooms to entertain the patients and their families while guests of Target House.  There are suitable play rooms for each age group.  There is a library, workout facilities, a gym, free laundry facilities as well as large communal dining room and kitchen.  The house features 96 fully furnished two bedroom apartments.  Each apartment has a complete kitchen, two twin beds, one queen bed, sofa, and entertainment system.

Here are the some of the other celebrity sponsored spaces:


The Shaun White Room

The tv's were decorated in the theme of the rooms.

Shaun White's rock and roll themed room was designed in 2009.  It has everything possible to entertain adults and kids alike.  Complete with five televisions, this room also has pictures of the Olympic snowboarder in action.

The Amy Grant Music Room

 

Amy Grant's Music room was definitely a favorite with those on my tour.  It was so relaxing and comfy.  If you will notice the seating is designed for adults and children.  Families can come here to play the piano, drums or guitars as well as listen to music. 

Before families leave Target House, they are asked to leave their mark by decorating the walls with pictures or words, to express what Target House meant to them.   It's fun to see what the families leave behind, as every family has its own unique story to tell or words to share. 

 Another favorite display in the Target House is the Wall of Elephants created by celebrities, artists, poets and musicians. The elephant is the symbol for Target House because elephants represent family, long life, strength and playfulness.  The fountain outside Target House has an elephant base. Here were a few of my favorite elephants on the elephant wall.  There were so many more that were adobable, but I snapped a pic of the ones created by people who mean something in my life or were in colors I liked, while on our tour.  I thought Maya Angelou's was especially interesting since she didn't color her's at all, but instead left it black and white.  The stark contrast of her colorless elephant, made her elephant stand out among all the colored elephants.

Of course I had to include Thomas O'Brien, since he is a fellow designer.   There is art everywhere lining the walls of Target House.  When we got to the Scott Hamilton sponsored "Art Room" I figured out why.....

The room was filled with every art medium imaginable.  It was like the art room we all dreamed about as children.  Color everywhere! This room definitely hit a chord with our group.  We all wanted to sit down and create.  It was so much fun to see what the children had made. I have always loved art done by children, but this was extra special.  You could feel the emotion of the artist.

This piece of art I found in the art room summed up our visit to The Target House and St Jude perfectly. "St Jude Children's Research Hospital is a good place four children" by  artist, Justin Laws

All possible because of one man's vision, dedication and dream to do something for others!  Thank You Danny Thomas and all who have worked to create this special place of healing for children. 

 You can visit Heartwork to buy art to benefit Target House

 To learn more about Target House and St Jude visit here!

(All art work used in this post is property of Lisa Mende, unless otherwise noted, please do not use with out giving credit. )