Ensuring a Home Away From Home

The Perry Pavilion is a two-story hospitality lodge designed to house family members within our hospital while their loved ones receive acute care treatment. This “home away from home” gives family members from outside Central Florida a place to stay at an affordable price, allowing them to be close to their loved ones who may be critically ill. Often, the guests who stay at the Perry Pavilion are vacationers whose family member suddenly requires medical attention. Thanks to the pavilion, families can focus on the health of their loved one, close at hand, rather than worrying about an unplanned and extended stay at a hotel. 

The Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips is comprised of many members who are a part of the large hospitality industry here in Central Florida. These individuals understand, better than most, the hospitality needs of out-of-town families facing a sudden challenge. 

When the Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips pledged $100,000 in early 2020 to help launch an endowment to support the Perry Pavilion, they could not have anticipated the challenges COVID-19 would soon bring. In order to keep the health and safety of patients and visitors as the highest level of priority, the Perry Pavilion was temporarily closed at the beginning of the pandemic. 

This closure did not stop the Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips from supporting a cause they believed to be important. Knowing that Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips has plans to re-open the Perry Pavilion once it is safe to do so, the Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips moved forward and advanced the full amount of the gift. 

Michael Handley, former President of the Rotary, and a key leader of the Rotary Foundation said, “It is more important than ever to support this mission, re-open the pavilion when it can be done safely, and help ensure those services will be available for years to come.” 

Through their giving, the compassionate members of the Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips are leaving behind a legacy that will help to serve families in Central Florida for years to come. 

The Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to taking action in order to create lasting change in our community. At the beginning of 2020, members of the Rotary Club of Dr. Phillips began making plans to support Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, feeling a connection to the Cynthia C. & William E. Perry Pavilion at Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital.