FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Republican National Convention, Credit Unions, Realclearpolitics
Kick-Off Project At Uh Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital

Horticultural therapy suite a ‘leave-behind’ project by

groups to benefit children long after conventions leave town

Cleveland, Ohio (March 29, 2016) – Credit unions, the Republican National Convention (RNC) and RealClearPolitics today hosted a construction kickoff of a year-round horticultural therapy suite located in Angie’s Garden at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (UH Rainbow).

RNC CEO Jeff Larson was joined at the kickoff celebration by Ohio Credit Union League (OCUL) President Paul Mercer, President/CEO of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Jim Nussle and President of UH Rainbow Patti DePompei.

In the months leading up to the 2016 Republican National Convention in July, credit unions and RealClearPolitics will work with the RNC to add therapeutic space and programs in a horticultural therapy suite. The suite complements Angie’s Garden, a feature of the Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute open to all UH Rainbow patients, and will further foster a restorative patient environment, enabling patients to engage in plant-based activities facilitated by a trained horticulturalist at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

“The Republican party is proud to be a part of this project to have a lasting impact on patients, families and the community at large at the UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.” said Jeff Larson, RNC CEO. “It is our desire to help give back to the city of Cleveland, which is doing so much to help make this Convention a success, especially when we have an opportunity like this to impact the lives of our nation’s children.”

CUNA and RealClearPolitics are honoring the 2016 Republican nominating convention by taking on the project. This year’s effort represents credit unions’ tradition of honoring each national political convention city with a “leave-behind” project that will serve the local communities long after the conventions have left town.

“National convention leave behind projects are part of what makes the credit union difference so special and unique,” said Jim Nussle, President and CEO of CUNA. “Credit unions live by the philosophy of people helping people. That’s why we’ve dedicated our time and energy into leaving a long-lasting impact on communities like Cleveland that have hosted conventions since 2000.”

Ohio’s 308 credit unions, which serve nearly three million Ohioans, are the lead contributors to the project, which is expected to cost $325,000.

“Ohio credit unions are proud to be affiliated with this project which, upon completion, will change patient lives for the better, similar to what credit unions do for their members daily,” said Paul Mercer, OCUL President.

“Therapy options such as art and music have remarkable healing effects for our children. Our Angie Fowler garden enables patients and families the opportunity to leave the indoor hospital environment, breathe fresh air, and experience healing effects of gardening and planting activities,” said Patti DePompei, President of UH Rainbow. “Part of our mission is to heal and that involves caring for the emotional and physical well-being of each child. This unique indoor horticultural therapy space allows us to do add a wonderful new feature for our patients and their families. We are grateful the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and Ohio Credit Union League shared in our vision to expand our horticultural therapy services.”

“As the official media partner, we at RealClearPolitics couldn’t be more proud to help support this project and to bring national attention to the overall good work of UH Rainbow Babies, CUNA, and partnership on this leave behind project during the RNC,” said RealClearPolitics co-founder Tom Bevan.

Construction will unfold over the spring and summer, and will include volunteer opportunities for credit union employees, and convention staff to lend a helping hand. Plans call for a ribbon-cutting event to take place during the week of the convention, which will be held July 18-21. A companion project is being undertaken by credit unions at Karabots Pediatric Care Center, part of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, site of the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

About UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital: Internationally renowned, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is a full-service children’s hospital and pediatric academic medical center with experts in 16 medical divisions and 11 surgical specialties who offer nationally ranked care not available at other institutions in the region, including Northeast Ohio’s only single-site provider of advanced maternal fetal medicine and neonatology services, and the Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Center dedicated to adolescent and young adult cancer treatment. As the primary pediatric affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in the region, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital offers access to novel therapies, advanced technologies and clinical discoveries long before they are available nationwide. Rainbow pediatric specialists – all of whom also serve on the faculty at the School of Medicine – are engaged in today’s most advanced clinical research and are widely regarded as the best in the nation – and in some specialties, the best in the world. Learn more at Rainbow.org.

About CUNA: With its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) serves America's credit unions, which are owned by more than 100 million consumer members. Credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives providing affordable financial services to people from all walks of life. For more information about CUNA, visit www.cuna.org or follow @CUNA on Twitter. For more information about credit unions, visit www.aSmarterChoice.org and follow @asmarterchoice on Twitter.

About Ohio Credit Union League: The Ohio Credit Union League, with offices in Columbus, is a state trade association representing 315 credit unions. Credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions owned and democratically-controlled by their members. Ohio credit unions provide savings, loans, and other consumer financial services to 2.82 million members. To learn more, visit www.aSmarterChoice.org.

About The 2016 Republican National Convention: The 2016 Republican National Convention will be held at the Quicken Loans Arena from July 18-21, 2016. Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Cleveland area for the event, including delegates, alternate delegates, members of the media and other guests. For more information about the 2016 Republican National Convention, please visit our website atwww.convention.gop

About RealClearPolitics: RealClearPolitics is the trusted, non-partisan, convener in a content-rich media environment; thoughtfully curating the best coverage from every angle of the day's most critical issues. One of RCP’s most notable features – the RCP Poll Average – is the most cited source for U.S. political polling information. The RCP Poll Average provides a more accurate read on the status of the election. The accuracy of the RCP Poll Average is unmatched and trusted enough to be used in campaign communication documents, as well as being widely cited by hundreds of news organizations, including: The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, FOX News, CNN and USA Today.

With a wide array of news and analysis available online, insiders rely on RealClearPolitics as the authoritative source for reporting, commentary, and analysis on all sides of the pressing public policy issues coming to the fore in 2016 - and the politics surrounding those issues heading into, and beyond, the election cycle.

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