Rotary donates $250,000 for new hospital

A planned $25 million children's hospital has just won a major financial gift.

The Rotary Club of Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates on Friday pledged $250,000 toward the Alexian Brothers Children's Hospital project. The new hospital would be built on the St. Alexius campus in Hoffman Estates by 2011.

"We are a service organization. One of the objectives … is we always want to find ways to give back to the community that we serve in ways that will support a lot of not-for-profits that don't have the source to fund these types of things," said Jodie Benjamin, president of the Rotary chapter.

The 68-member club will pay the gift over five years, giving it the honor of becoming the only civic sponsor for the new children's hospital.

There will be a section of the hospital named for the club, Benjamin said.

Hospital officials are grateful for the generous gift, spokesman Matt Wakely said.

Alexian Brothers Children's Hospital would address the growing need for specialized care for children and families in the Northwest suburbs, the hospital says.