Gaylord Palms Resort Announces Holiday Partnership with Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

KISSIMMEE, FL (PRWEB) November 7, 2006 -- Gaylord Palms Resort, the "headquarters hotel" for the Christmas season in Orlando, has announced a new holiday partnership with Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation to benefit Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

As part of the partnership, Gaylord will provide a donation to the foundation, as well as complimentary entry into ICE! for children previously born at the hospital. Specifically:

-- Nov. 18-30: a 50-cent donation will be made for every ICE! ticket sold, with a minimum of $10,000.

-- Nov. 18-24: any child previously born at Arnold Palmer Hospital will be admitted free into the ICE! attraction by showing an official Arnold Palmer Hospital birth certificate at the ICE! box office.

The partnership is part of the resort's Best of Florida Christmas celebration, featuring live entertainment, unique attractions and holiday activities held to commemorate the Christmas season.

When the new Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies opened in Spring 2006, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children expanded from the current 98-bed facility to a 158-bed facility dedicated exclusively to the needs of children.    

The hospital will grow again in early 2007, with the opening of the 23,500-square-foot The Bert Martin's Champions for Children Emergency Department & Trauma Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital. This construction project will cost $11 million and is almost entirely funded by philanthropic support. Gaylord's donation will be specially earmarked toward this new trauma center.

"Christmas is all about children," said Kemp Gallineau, Gaylord Palms Resort general manager. "So in choosing a charity partner, we chose one that would truly benefit the children of our community."

ICE!, the marquee attraction of Best of Florida Christmas, is a wildly popular family experience hand-carved from nearly TWO MILLION pounds of ice. The walk-through attraction combines fantastic frozen creations, thrilling ice slides, dramatic lighting and special effects. This year's attraction, which reflects the theme "A Season of Wishes," is presented by Walgreen's and co-sponsored by Nissan, Sara Lee and Sylvania.

The ICE! attraction is carved by a team of 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Since its inception, this unique attraction has garnered national recognition from the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, and Travel + Leisure.

In addition to ICE!, Best of Florida Christmas (Nov. 18-Jan. 2) highlights include:
-- ICE! Skating: An outdoor skating rink offering a holiday tradition common only in northern climates. Skate rentals are included.

-- "A Season of Wishes" Christmas Show: A Christmas variety show featuring a cast of characters and a memorable soundtrack of holiday favorites.

-- "Lights Alive!" Shows: featuring lights throughout the resort's atrium, synchronized to festive holiday music.

-- Holiday Gnome Hunt: Families can hunt throughout the Gaylord Palms atriums to spot cleverly hidden gnomes (presented by Travelocity).

To learn more about the Arnold Palmer Hospital birth certificate program, call (407) 586-4432. To learn more about other holiday events in Central Florida, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com.

About Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, supported by the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation, is a 158-bed facility dedicated exclusively to the needs of children. Located in Orlando, Arnold Palmer Hospital includes comprehensive, specialized programs and services for children including acute care, adolescent medicine, a Congenital Heart Institute in partnership with Miami Children's Hospital, pediatric intensive care, emergency medicine, nephrology, neurology and trauma services to name a few. The new Arnold Palmer Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is equipped to take care of any child with a severe injury or illness as it is staffed 24/7 with highly-trained critical care physicians and specialists covering 19 subspecialties

Arnold Palmer Hospital has the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center (currently part of ORMC's Level 1 Trauma Center) and Emergency Department in Central Florida. More than 25,000 children a year seek care in ORMC's Emergency Department while approximately 750 children are treated in the Trauma Center. To learn more, visit www.arnoldpalmerhospital.org.

About Gaylord Palms Resort

Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center has gained the attention of the meeting and convention industry by providing world-class convention and leisure-focused amenities – all in one place. The award-winning Gaylord Palms is a Gaylord Hotels-branded property owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit www.gaylordpalms.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com.


JUST THE FACTS:
ICE! / Arnold Palmer Hospital Birth Certificate Promotion

What: Free entry into ICE! at Gaylord Palms

Who: Children who were born at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando

When: Nov. 18 – 24, 2006

Where: ICE! at Gaylord Palms Resort, 6000 W Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee

How: To receive complimentary entry, children born at Arnold Palmer Hospital must be accompanied by a parent and present an official Arnold Palmer Hospital birth certificate.

Why: Gaylord Palms Resort is partnering with Arnold Palmer Hospital Foundation, to raise funds for the new pediatric trauma center, scheduled to open in 2007. As part of the partnership, Gaylord Palms is donating 50 cents for every ICE! ticket sold during the first two weeks of operation (Nov. 18-30), for a minimum of $10,000.

Details: To learn more about the Arnold Palmer birth certificate program, call (407) 586-4432.    

Media Contact:
Keith Salwoski, (407) 586-0315
Robin Kraich, Arnold Palmer Hospital, (321) 843-4567

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