Thanks to a new, long-term partnership with the Manning family and the transformative leadership of the hospital’s President and CEO, Lou Fragoso, the recently renamed Manning Family Children’s is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Drawing on decades of experience caring for the children of Louisiana and the Gulf South, the hospital is on a mission to help Louisiana become a leader in child health.
“It doesn’t take long to walk into the facility and realize you’re in a first-class operation,” says Cooper Manning. “Children’s Hospital is already a well-oiled machine that we’re flattered to be a part of. So, if we can help continue to grow that reputation and expand the ability to treat more children, then we have done our part.”
With more than 200 new pediatric physicians added to their ranks in the past five years alone, alongside innovations in behavioral health and revolutionary gene therapy that is primed to cure sickle cell disease, game-changing procedures are being developed and specialized to heal the nation’s children right here in New Orleans.
“We want to help change the health of a generation, and we have the most comprehensive children’s hospital in the region right here where all of that can happen,” says Fragoso. “When Olivia, Archie, Cooper Peyton, and Eli Manning came to us, their approach was simply to ask how they could help. And we’ve already seen their efforts help spread our story across the state, the region, and even nationally, and bring important resources to support our mission.”
Perennially beloved figureheads and ambassadors of New Orleans to the world, the Manning Family’s contributions to children’s healthcare are just a continuation of their family’s storied history of giving back to their communities, ensuring health and wellness for so many, for years to come.
“We’ve been fortunate to be involved with a lot of great causes over the years,” says Archie Manning. “But when you hit the age of seventy-five, that’s really the fourth quarter, and you begin to look at things differently and reflect. I’m proud of all three of my boys and their families for what they’ve done to give back. But in this fourth quarter of my life, we still want to do more, and it has given me so much joy to align our efforts with Children’s Hospital.”
The Manning’s partnership with Children’s Hospital helped create a homecoming of sorts, reuniting the family with their lifelong pediatrician and friend, Dr. Stephen Hales. A hospital board member for nearly forty-five years and a key part of the institution’s lasting legacy, Dr. Hales cared for the Manning sons from a young age.
“I can remember Peyton at about nine years old going to see Dr Hales. They were trying to tell him that he was going to eventually be 6’1, and Peyton told him he was wrong. I’ve always said he willed himself to be five inches taller than Dr. Hales predicted,” says Cooper. “Recently, Dr. Hales wrote us the nicest note after this partnership was announced. For our families to have been so close and to see how happy he is about this partnership is really gratifying.”
To learn more about this transformational next chapter and the hospital’s bold vision for kids, visit manningchildrens.org.
Vacation Destination: Cabo (Archie)
Favorite Sports Team: Chicago Cubs (Lou)
Current Music Obsession: Turnpike Troubadours (Cooper)
manningchildrens.org • 504-899-9511
200 Henry Clay Avenue, New Orleans
