Rita Case, President, CEO and owner of Rick Case Automotive Group, with pediatric patient Jeremiah Pettaway. Credit: Downtown Photo
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital celebrated a new interactive experience that leads to the outdoor Hope Terrace on the hospital’s fifth floor, made possible through a generous gift from Rita Case and the Rick Case Automotive Group.
The custom-designed fun, playful, interactive images come to life in the walkway as patients wave their hands for butterflies to populate the garden, and grass grows under their feet and ripples form in a stream as they walk through.
“When I initially walked through this space it was stark white and I thought, we have to transform this walkway. I went to Washington, D.C. and experienced this state-of-the-art technology and that’s when it came to me that we needed that here at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital,” said Rita Case, President, CEO and owner of Rick Case Automotive Group. “It’s so great to see the kids having fun interacting with the wall where they have a chance to explore, imagine and express themselves. We want to see the smiles, hear the laughter and feel their joy.”
Case was so thrilled with this project that she expanded it to the emergency department and imaging unit so that children and their families in those areas can also experience the same joy and happiness.
The interactive experience is a welcome, uplifting distraction designed to spark moments of joy and connection. This experience offers a safe, engaging way for patients to explore, imagine and express themselves, even when mobility challenges or medical limitations make traditional play difficult. It transforms the care environment into one that nurtures creativity, comfort and emotional well-being.
