SPOTLIGHT

The T. Boone Pickens Foundation focuses grants to organizations that operate in its core giving categories (see "About TBPF"). The current partner spotlight is an update on Dallas-based Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC), a world leader in the treatment of pediatric orthopaedic conditions.

TSRHC's mission is to improve the care of children worldwide through innovative research and teaching programs. TSRHC's Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedics is a full clinical fellowship and has produced more than 160 Fellows, now practicing across the U.S. and spanning six continents. TSRHC treats Texas children with orthopaedic conditions, such as scoliosis, clubfoot, hand disorders, hip disorders and limb length differences, as well as certain related neurological disorders and learning disorders, such as dyslexia.

Pickens, a long-time supporter of TSRHC, donated $8 million to establish the T. Boone Pickens Training and Conference Center, which opened in 2009 in renovated space at the hospital. It allowed TSRHC to consolidate vital activities of medical training, community outreach initiatives and patient education. Since 2009, the 23,000-square-foot Center has hosted more than 18,500 meetings with more than 325,000 guests, facilitated by state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and ample meeting room space.

"I've been impressed with the work done at Texas Scottish Rite," Pickens says. "It is important to see quantifiable results from my philanthropy. I see it there in the faces of the children the facility serves."

TSRHC was established in 1921 when a group of Texas Masons approached Dallas' first orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. W. B. Carrell, about caring for children with polio regardless of the family's ability to pay. With the introduction of the Salk and Sabin vaccines in the mid-1950s, which virtually eradicated polio in the Western Hemisphere, TSRHC broadened its focus to other orthopaedic conditions. As a leading pediatric orthopaedic center, the hospital has treated more than 210,000 children since its inception, with more than 40,000 clinic visits each year. The hospital takes a multidisciplinary approach to care, tailoring treatment to the individual needs of each child and family.

"We are very grateful to Mr. Pickens for his generous donation to the Center, which plays a vital role in fulfilling our mission of improving the lives of children," says Robert L. Walker, president and chief executive officer of TSRHC. "From multi-disciplinary meetings focusing on a single patient, to symposia hosting leading pediatric orthopaedic physicians from around the world, to neighborhood and regional community forums, the Center is a unique resource that adds value every day."

Admission to TSRHC is open to Texas children from birth up to 18 years of age. For more information on Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, please visit www.tsrhc.org.