Akron Children’s unveils new campus signage as $250 million campaign takes pediatric care to the next level

Among those taking part in the special moment were from left to right: Shelly Brown, Akron Children’s chief development officer; Chris Gessner, Akron Children’s president and CEO; Pip, Akron Children’s mascot; patient Josie Greco; and Annie Murphy, alliance coordinator with the B. Golisano Foundation. Together, they pushed a giant blue button to initiate the signage unveiling.

Akron Children’s marked a major milestone on Thursday, Sept. 10 with a little help from some high-flying friends.

Perched high atop the hospital’s main building, Spiderman, Batman and the Hulk among other superheroes, helped unveil new Akron Children’s campus signage honoring Tom Golisano, the entrepreneur, philanthropist and civic leader, whose $50 million gift to Akron Children’s earlier this year became the largest donation in the hospital’s history.

The unveiling was part of the public launch of Akron Children’s Foundation’s “Come Grow With Us” campaign, a comprehensive $250 million effort designed to advance pediatric healthcare and help ensure every child can access extraordinary care close to home.

Josie Greco, an Akron Children’s patient since birth, spoke about the impact the hospital has had on her.

The campaign has raised $140 million to date.

Golisano’s transformational gift helped propel the campaign forward and played a significant role in increasing its original fundraising goal by $100 million.

The event brought together patients, families, hospital leaders, medical staff, employees, donors and community members to celebrate the progress Akron Children’s has made – and look toward at what’s still to come.

Growing care across the region

The campaign comes at a time of significant growth for Akron Children’s.

In recent months, the health system has expanded services in communities including Medina, Montrose, Marietta and Belpre. Akron Children’s has also opened a new autism center and an inpatient behavioral health unit, expanding the types of specialized care available to children and families.

For Akron Children’s President and CEO Chris Gessner, philanthropy is an essential part of making that growth possible.

“Donors allow us to do magical things for the kids of this region,” he said.

Event attendees received t-shirts with the campaign slogan.

The “Come Grow With Us” campaign will support several strategic priorities, including expanded pediatric specialty care, behavioral health, nursing excellence, community health, and patient and family engagement.

“There’s not an end to some of the needs of the hospital moving forward,” said Shelly Brown, Akron Children’s chief development officer. “This campaign will help us achieve our strategic priorities in a bigger way by treating more people and being present in more communities.”

A hospital that feels like home

For patients and families, the impact of Akron Children’s extends well beyond medical treatment.

Josie Greco, 18, of Edinburg, Pennsylvania, has been part of the Akron Children’s community since birth. Speaking at the event, she described the hospital as something much more personal than a place to receive care.

“Akron Children’s is way more to me than a hospital,” she said. “No matter if I’ve been there for a day, an hour, or a minute for an appointment, I always know I have somebody that I can connect with.”

Her experience reflects the broader goal of Come Grow With Us: making high-quality pediatric care accessible while creating an environment where children and their families feel supported throughout their healthcare journeys.

Looking toward the future

The public launch of “Come Grow With Us” represents more than a fundraising milestone. It’s a statement about Akron Children’s ambitions for the future of pediatric healthcare across the region.

And as the new campus signage was unveiled in honor of Golisano, the message was clear: the future of pediatric care is growing at Akron Children’s.