Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and Domino’s®, the largest pizza company in the world, today unveiled The Domino’s Village, a multi-million dollar housing facility for patients and their families. The six-story building that provides more than 307,000 square feet of residential and recreational space was funded by Domino’s as part of a 10-year, historic $100 million commitment to St. Jude.
The Domino’s Village has 140 furnished units, including one-bedroom suites and two- and three-bedroom apartments and is connected to the St. Jude campus by a pedestrian bridge. St. Jude provides housing free of charge to any patient who needs treatment requiring an overnight stay and whose family must travel 35 miles or more to campus. Over the last 61 years, St. Jude has treated patients from all 50 states and around the world, making housing for patients and their families a critical need. The Domino’s Village is one of four housing facilities available to St. Jude patients and the first to accommodate short- and long-term stays. The Domino’s Village will open to St. Jude families in October.
“Treatments for childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases can take an enormous toll on families,” said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and CEO. “The Domino’s Village offers a place where patient families can find comfort along their journey, a place where they can unwind, connect and recharge, as they would in their own home.”
The design offers a peaceful respite with living, dining and play spaces for families to enjoy, including:
- Arts and Crafts Room, where children can paint, draw and create;
- Community Kitchen, a place where families can cook a meal or prepare a feast with other families;
- Dining Room, a communal dining space — which features a drop-down movie screen — that is the first in a patient housing facility to be operated by St. Jude Food Services;
- Outdoor Playground, which features accessible play equipment, outdoor grills, patio tables, a large LED movie screen and a walking path;
- Rec Room, which includes foosball, a pool table and gaming stations;
- Toddler Room, a beach-themed play space designed just for the little ones, with a walk-in lighthouse and colorful mural with sea creatures, sailboats and beach umbrellas;
- Medical Clinic, featuring three exam rooms where patients can get medicine or pre-clinical work before a procedure at the hospital;
- Fitness Room, which offers fitness equipment, a space for yoga and other group fitness classes;
- Sky Bridge, an elevated walkway over North Third Street, providing safe, easy access to the rest of the St. Jude campus;
- Prayer Room, a place to gather for meditation, reflection and prayer.
“We could not be any more excited to celebrate the newest housing facility for patient families at St. Jude,” said Russell Weiner, Domino’s CEO. “This has been in the works for more than three years now, as Domino’s first announced its commitment to raise $100 million to go toward this housing facility back in 2020. Thanks to our stores’ fundraising efforts and the generous donations of our customers, The Domino’s Village has come to life, providing a place of comfort and rest to families who have children who are undergoing treatment for cancer and other catastrophic diseases. We’re grateful to be able to have one small part in providing a home away from home for these families when they need it the most.”
Marlo Thomas, National Outreach Director and daughter of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas, was intimately involved in the interior design, personally selecting touches from paint colors to kitchen tiles.
“Our friends at Domino’s have provided the most wonderful gift — a home away from home for the children and families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Thomas. “The Domino’s Village represents one of the many things my father, Danny Thomas, envisioned when he founded St. Jude: a place of comfort and respite for families who come to St. Jude from across the country and around the world. This safe haven not only provides a loving home environment but also a sense of community for families as their children go through the difficult process of being treated for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Together, we can continue to make a difference in the lives of children.”
Domino’s continues to have a prominent presence on the St. Jude campus, with the Assessment and Triage Clinic Delivered by Domino’s and the Domino’s Event Center. Due to the generosity of donors and partners like Domino’s, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food so they can focus on helping their child live.
“We are incredibly grateful to Domino’s and its customers, employees, franchisees and customers, whose generosity has changed so many lives and been an integral part of our St. Jude history for almost two decades,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Through its historic commitment to St. Jude and gifts like The Domino’s Village, Domino’s has shown how corporate purpose can create a more compassionate and caring world and transform lives for the better.”
The Domino’s Village is part of the ambitious St. Jude strategic plan, the largest investment in the organization’s history to advance the study and treatment of pediatric cancer and other diseases. It includes building and supporting best-in-class environments that offer patients and their families a comfortable place to stay while receiving treatment at St. Jude. Earlier this year, St. Jude opened Family Commons, the first ever treatment and clinical staff-free floor at the hospital and research institution, offering patients and families a home-like space to find comfort and respite, exercise their minds and fuel their imaginations in between clinic appointments.
You can find photos and footage of The Domino’s Village here.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer, sickle cell disease, and other life-threatening disorders. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 60 years ago. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read the St. Jude Progress blog, and follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.
About Domino's Pizza®
Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with a significant business in both delivery and carryout pizza. It ranks among the world's top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 20,000 stores in over 90 markets. Domino's had global retail sales of over $17.5 billion in 2022, with over $8.7 billion in the U.S. and nearly $8.8 billion internationally. In the second quarter of 2023, Domino's had global retail sales of over $4.2 billion, with nearly $2.1 billion in the U.S. and over $2.1 billion internationally. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 99% of Domino's stores as of the end of the second quarter of 2023. Emphasis on technology innovation helped Domino's achieve approximately two-thirds of all global retail sales in 2022 from digital channels. In the U.S., Domino's generated more than 80% of U.S. retail sales in 2022 via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms, including those for Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, text-to-order and more. In 2023, Domino's launched Pinpoint Delivery, a new technology that allows customers to receive a delivery nearly anywhere, including places like parks, baseball fields and beaches.
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Media Relations Contacts
Chelsea Bryant, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Desk: (901) 595-0564
Cell: (256) 244-2048
chelsea.bryant@stjude.org
Kurt Rossler, ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Cell: (901) 297-3512
kurt.rossler@alsac.stjude.org
