He’s overcome a serious disability.

They are premature infants who weighed between one-and-a-half and two pounds at birth.

She recovered from traumatic injuries.

All of them have two things in common:

• They were cared for at University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.
• They will participate in a special event this week.

That special event is the groundbreaking ceremony for the new UI Children’s Hospital, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday, June 21, on the patio of the John Colloton Pavilion at UI Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

“We are building a new home for all of Iowa’s children, so our groundbreaking ceremony will be all about kids and families,” says Scott Turner, executive director of UI Children’s Hospital.

The $292 million, 480,000-square-foot facility is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2016.

The new UI Children’s Hospital is being designed as a healing environment that improves the health and well-being of children and their families. The new hospital will provide a patient and family experience that matches the quality of care and compassionate service already delivered by UI Children’s Hospital, which is the only hospital in Iowa ranked as one of the Best Children’s in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The original Children’s Hospital opened in 1919. In 1954, pediatric patients were moved to what was then known as University Hospitals, with pediatric services located throughout the facility.

As part of Iowa First: Our Campaign for Breakthrough Medicine, UI Health Care and the UI Foundation are raising $50 million toward the cost of building the new children’s hospital. More than $26 million toward the $50 million goal for the new hospital has already been raised.

The following donors have made leadership commitments of at least $1 million to the UI Children’s Hospital Building Fund through the UI Foundation prior to June 7.

• Janice and Bruce Ellig
• Gerdin Family Foundation
• Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc.
• Iowa Ladies' Football Academy
• Iowa State University Dance Marathon
• UI Dance Marathon
• Walmart and Sam's Club Associates

Parking for the event is available in Hospital Ramp 4. To view a map, visit www.uichildrens.org/groundbreaking.

The groundbreaking will be available for viewing online via a live Webcast at www.uichildrens.org/live to anyone who cannot attend the event in person. Photos and video from the event will be available at www.uichildrens.org/buildingupdate and www.facebook.com/uichildrens.