Healing through laughter

Decades-long supporters of Children’s Health, Amy Korenvaes and her family first supported patients with therapeutic clowns. Now, they have committed to help kids through our biggest project yet: the new pediatric campus in Dallas

Nearly three decades ago, Amy Korenvaes and her family had moved from New York to Dallas when she began volunteering in the evenings at Children’s Health. She was a relatively new Texan searching for a way to connect with an unfamiliar city.

On these nights, she was a reassuring face for anxious parents waiting for answers in a busy Emergency Department. With a knack for humor, she was a source of stress relief for worried kids.

“A child can get sick, but at Children’s Health, they can also recover and be put back into their own little world and thrive. That’s what we want for all of our kiddos. I can’t think of a better place to bring your child when that child is in trouble,” Amy said. “I want Children’s Health to be the best it can possibly be long into the future.”

In 2006, Amy and her husband, Harlan, brought laughter to patients when they established the Harlan and Amy Korenvaes Endowment to support the former therapeutic clown program at Children's Health. The therapeutic clowns regularly visited bedsides and clinics to boost spirits and work with medical staff to help children cope with the challenges of being hospitalized. They provided comic relief and merriment to the patient rooms, break rooms and halls of the hospital.

“I’ve been to a lot of different places around the world and seen a lot of other pediatric hospitals, and Children’s Health is my favorite place,” Amy said. “This is where I’d want my child to go if they are sick. I’m proud of this hospital.”  

In 2010, as the needs of patients at Children’s Health evolved, the Korenvaeses changed their endowment to support the virtual reality program – a resource offered by Child Life to encourage patients to have fun and move using technology.

Virtual reality is used in various programs throughout the hospital to help create a calm and comfortable environment for kids before, during and after procedures. The technology is a popular pastime for patients, especially those with lengthy hospital stays, and also is used in partnership with hospital researchers to track and improve patient outcomes.

“Thank goodness we switched to virtual reality because then came the COVID-19 pandemic and clowns couldn’t have gone inside the hospital,” Amy said. “All those hours of distraction and a way to visit with their friends and family and play games, it was hours and hours with infinite possibilities.”

Throughout the years, Amy and Harlan have served in leadership roles as members of the Children’s Medical Center Foundation Board, as well as with other civic and health care-related organizations in the community.

“I’ve been very blessed, lucky and successful at surrounding myself with people I consider heroes,” Amy said. “I consider people at Children’s Health to be heroes. They’re giants to me because they are the best there is.”   

Now, the couple has committed their support to helping build the new pediatric campus in Dallas, a joint investment with UT Southwestern Medical Center. The campus will be one of the country’s largest and most transformative pediatric hospitals and will strengthen our ability to provide comprehensive care for the youngest members of our community.

“Children are our future. Having a state-of-the-art children’s hospital is exactly what Dallas needs. It’s correct for the growth of Dallas, and it’s correct for the families who live here,” Amy said.