EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Hundreds packed the Ainad Shriners building in East St. Louis to celebrate Shriner's Children's Hospital's 100 years in the area on Saturday.
Over the last century, Shriner's St. Louis Hospital has served hundreds of thousands of families by treating and rehabilitating children with musculoskeletal issues and missing limbs. They serve even if a family does not have the means to pay.
On Saturday, the Amazing Care Family Affair connected former and current patients, caregivers, and Shriners to commemorate the work the hospital has done.
Shriners played music, kids participated in interactive activities, and children walked away with free Build-a-Bears they could customize and interact with on-site.
Bobbi Jo Wright, 59, signed autographs and shared her own story about her experience with Shriner's St. Louis Hospital. She was born with Cerebral palsy and was connected in 1968.
"I had thought many times if it hadn't been for the help I received at the St. Louis Shriners Children's I would have been in a wheelchair a long time ago," Wright said.
Wright held up a black and white photo featuring her at five years old in 1970, known as the iconic "Editorial Without Words."
The photo captured Al Hortman, a Shriner who stooped down, picked up Wright and her crutches at a Shriners picnic in Indiana , and carried her and a photographer named Randy Dieter got the shot.
The photo has become a staple for the organization for the last several decades, featured on logos and statues.
"I just for me personally have had a couple of moments where I've been brought to tears seeing kids that are not in their twenties that I knew when they were little. Watching reunions of caregivers and the kids that were here. It's been real heartwarming to see," said Tammy Robbins, marketing director.
The day was especially heartwarming for Potentate Mike Koeneman who has been a Shriner since 1977.
"I want them to leave with a big smile on their face. I want them to feel as though this has been an experience that hey. We've been dealt a tough hand possibly but look at how it's working out," he expressed.
A century later, the hospital is still a place "where hope and healing meet."
"I like the focus on the fact that they focus on not only helping kids with improving their daily function but also helping them enjoy their various passions. Whatever they may be," Wright said.
Shriners Hospitals for Children has served more than 1.5 million children across the country to date.