Thornburgh Family to Dedicate Suite at The Children's Institute

In Honor of Son Treated for Brain Injury

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A distinguished Pennsylvania family is honoring one of its members with a gift to an organization that has made a major difference in their lives. On Wednesday, November 24, 2010, at 11:00 a.m., the Peter Thornburgh Patient Care Services Suite will be dedicated at The Children's Institute (www.amazingkids.org), 1405 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh.

This happy event is the culmination of a long story.

On July 1, 1960, Dick Thornburgh—who would later serve as Pennsylvania Governor and U.S. Attorney General—received a phone call with terrible news: his wife had been killed in an auto accident that inflicted grave brain injuries on his infant son Peter. Two older sons had incurred less serious injuries.

Fifty years later, the Thornburgh family will gather to honor Peter Thornburgh at the place that helped him recover from his injuries and realize his potential.

The journey that led from the horrific accident to the current celebration began in 1964. Ginny Thornburgh was a young schoolteacher who had married Dick a year earlier. She heard about The Home for Crippled Children (as The Children's Institute was then known), and she and Dick decided to see what it could do for Peter, who had received extensive medical services and loving care, but no rehabilitation.

Pioneering program

Peter became the first patient in what is today a world-renowned program. Over the course of three years, he made great progress as a multi-disciplinary team addressed his extensive challenges—in the process pioneering best practices in treating traumatic brain injuries.

Today, although he still deals with residual cognitive and physical issues, Peter has a fulfilling life. He lives with some independence in a supervised apartment in Harrisburg and volunteers regularly at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

Over the years, Dick Thornburgh went on to a notable career in public service. Ginny, who had had no previous exposure to disability issues, became a passionate advocate for children and adults with disabilities. Today she is Director of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Interfaith Initiative in Washington, D.C.

The Thornburgh family has never forgotten the progress Peter made at The Children's Institute. In 1967, Dick made the time to lead a $3 million capital campaign for the organization that had done so much for Peter. Ginny was a member of The Children's Institute's Board of Directors, and remains a member of its Associate Board. Peter's older brother John is currently Vice Chair of the Board.

Giving thanks with a generous gift

Together with close friends Marcia and Si Keehn of Winnetka, Illinois and Chuck and Jo Ann Queenan of Pittsburgh, the Thornburgh family has made a major gift to The Children's Institute and to the children and families it serves. They have named the Peter Thornburgh Patient Care Services Suite. (Since that time, other generous people have made gifts in honor of Peter.) In the suite, the comprehensive care for which The Children's Institute is noted is coordinated to ensure that patients receive everything they need to reach their optimum potential.

The fact that the dedication ceremony will take place on the day before Thanksgiving is no coincidence. Ginny Thornburgh says, "We are so grateful. That day so long ago was the beginning of Peter's chance to be grounded in hope. The Home encouraged him to try, and succeed at, things we had never thought possible. I just don't know where we would be if we hadn't come here."

David K. Miles, President and CEO of The Children's Institute, adds, "We are so pleased to be able to offer this very fitting tribute both to Peter Thornburgh's remarkable qualities and to the compassionate care he received at the Home. The new area will be a daily inspiration to other individuals and families we serve."

SOURCE The Children's Institute