Plibrico staff and PliPartners in 12 locations take a day to support

this world class children’s hospital with Happy Craft kits.

What do you get when you combine a 127 enthusiastic and caring people across 12 different locations, and over 35,000 craft supplies? 2,500 smiling, giggling, happy children!

Recently, the Plibrico Company and four Plibrico Network partners, F.S. Sperry Company, Empire Refractory Services, Upstate Refractory Services, and FibreCast Inc., convened their staffs to assemble nearly 2,500 Happy Craft kits for Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Shriners Hospitals provide innovative, pediatric care for orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal conditions afflicting young children in 22 facilities across America and Mexico. It treats children’s complex healthcare needs associated with trauma, burns, spinal cord injuries, cleft lip and palate conditions.

Plibrico Company’s Happy Craft Project contributes an important component of the healing process for these brave young patients. “Happy Crafts” are a hands-on playtime activity for parents and children who are living through the long hours of rehabilitation and recovery.

“While we know that the children at Shriners Hospitals receive one-of-a-kind attention for their condition, what we don’t appreciate is the toll the procedures and treatments take on a child and their families,” observed Plibrico President and CEO Brad Taylor. “The Happy Craft kits provide a welcome, fun distraction from the realities of being in a hospital. Shriners Hospitals provide a supporting, loving environment, and we’re extremely proud to help support that healing environment with our Happy Craft Kits.”

A total of 127 Plibrico Company and Plibrico Network associates stepped up. In Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio, Indiana, New York, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Ontario Canada, they huddled over cafeteria tables, in conference rooms and supervisors’ offices, counting out thousands of beads, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, clothespins, and other hobby materials to package into separate kits for distribution. The kits contained instructions for building action figures, fire breathing dragons, dream catchers, race cars, funny bugs and wind spinners.

“The kits deliver a much-needed diversion from their day to day challenges added Taylor. “These children are facing chronic, life threatening illnesses. When they put their hands and imaginations to work to help take their minds off their daily struggles, they feel better about themselves. In addition to an escape for the children, it’s for the parents too, even if it’s only for a couple hours.
Taylor commented, “Plibrico has a strong footprint in our industry. We take an active interest in the communities where we work and live, and we want to contribute however we can. The Shriners Hospitals for Children is an outstanding institution doing invaluable work. Plibrico and the Happy Craft Project is proud to be a part of that.”

Handcrafts, art and drawing activities have proven to improve a patient’s mood, emotions, and sense of self-worth. Hospitals frequently initiate such programs for their potential to reduce stress and depression, as well as to lighten the weight of serious, lingering illness.

Shriners Hospitals For Children cared for 145,608 children in 2019. To find out more about the hospital, you can contact Shriners Hospitals For Children at 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Florida 33607 or 800-237-5055.   Donations can be made online at www.lovetotherescue.org.

For more information please contact Plibrico at 312-337-9000, or contact@plibrico.com

Information regarding refractory contractor, F.S. Sperry Company in the Memphis, TN; Hot Springs, AR; Columbia, TN; Knoxville, TN; can be found online at www.fssperry.com or contact sales@fssperry.com, 901-373-9000.   Find out how F.S. Sperry can help you with your heat processing equipment.

To contact Empire Refractory Services about your refractory needs in Fort Wayne or Indianapolis, IN, please call 800-596-4303 or online at www.empirerefractory.com.

For quality refractory solutions in the New York areas of Newark, Syracuse, and Albany, refractory contractor, Upstate Refractory Services can be contacted at info@upstaterefractory.com, or 315-331-2955. And can be found online at www.upstaterefractory.com.

Refractory contractor FibreCast, manufactures and distributes a wide range of “best in class” temperature-resistant ceramic insulation products and refractories. Operating in eastern Canada at, 3264 Mainway
Burlington, Ontario, CA, L7M 1A7, you can contact FibreCast at 905-319-1080, or online at www.fibrecast.com.