10 Rose Parade photos: Nurses win 2013 Craftsman Trophy for ‘A Healing Place’

The scale of a Rose Parade float can be seen in the gigantic animals nestled in a forest glade.  Ten nurses representing various donor organizations were chosen to ride the Rose Parade float.  They are Suko Davies, RN, representing Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, Calif., Emergency Department; Cherie Fox, RN BSN CCRN-CSC, representing St. Joseph Health, Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo, Calif., Cardiac Intensive Care Unit; Deborah Keasler, RN, BS, MS, representing Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Pomona, Calif., Director of Cardiac Services; Sister Terrence Landini, LCM, representing Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Torrance, Calif., retired nurse leader; Maureen Latham, RN, representing Sharp HealthCare, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital For Women & Newborns, San Diego, Calif.; Bob Patterson, RN, MSN, The American Assembly for Men in Nursing; Priscilla “Patti” Taylor, MN, CNS, FNP, Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Liver Transplant Unit, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles representing Nurse.com; Cathy Rodgers Ward, RN, DNSc, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, representing Nurse.com; Ariel Eby, SN, Pasadena City College; Nicole Brown, SN, Pasadena City CollegePasadena City College has a renowned nursing program.  Two students from the school were chosen to ride “A Healing Place: Ariel Eby, SN, and Nicole Brown, SN.Men in nursing were represented by Bob Patterson, RN, MSN, The American Assembly for Men in Nursing.  Retired nurse Sister Terrence Landini, LCM, represented Providence Little Company of Mary Medical, Torrance, Calif.Two of the 10 registered nurses chosen to ride The Nurses Float stand at the front, next to one of several lanterns patterned after the one used by Florence Nightingale.  “The Lady of the Lamp” did not carry the wicked Aladdin-style lamp usually portrayed, but a folding lantern.  Read more about the lamp in “Florence Nightingale inspires lanterns.”The turtles, created with various kinds of seeds, represent the patient’s journey to health with the assistance of nurses. View the list »
Inspired by the many qualities nurses have, Bare Root, Inc. and Phoenix Decorating Company created a float to honor the profession of nursing and Tournament of Roses President Sally M. Bixby.  “A Healing Place” won the Craftsman Trophy for “Exceptional Achievement In Showmanship & Dramatic Impact” for floats that are 55 feet or longer.This spectacular float was filled with lifelike animals in a forest glade that provides a sanctuary.  Around the base of the float, black letters list the characteristics of nurses: caring, wise, conscientious, compassionate, gentle, confident.  Animals on the float are metaphors for these and other characteristics.According to Suzanne Ward, treasurer of Bare, Root Inc., the doe and fawn represent the quality of caring, owls represent wisdom and conscientiousness and the rabbit represents fertility, which includes both the work nurses do in that area of medicine and recruiting, educating and nurturing new nurses. Intelligence and the compassion of nurses who work through the night are seen in the raccoon as it gently assists the turtle forward, which calls to mind the patient’s journey to health.  The squirrel represents the commitment that nurses have to their patients, and the birds and butterflies create a supportive environment of “A Healing Place.”

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After five years in the planning and a year in the making, The Nurses Float rolled down Colorado Blvd. on Jan. 1, 2013 for the 124th Rose Parade. The entry, “A Healing Place,” was conceived as a way to bring attention to the profession of nursing and to honor Registered Nurse and 2014 Tournament of Roses President Sally M. Bixby.

The float won the Craftsman Trophy for “Exceptional Achievement In Showmanship & Dramatic Impact” for floats that are 55 feet or longer. It was designed and built by Phoenix Decorating Company. We spent more than a year following the progress of “A Healing Place.”

For links to all the Tournament of Roses Examiner articles on The Nurses Float, read “Follow that float: Honoring nursing, president Bixby with 2013 Rose Parade float”

The core group of registered nurses formed Bare Root Inc., a non-profit dedicated raising funds for the float and awareness of the profession. Monica Weisbrich, president, Judy Dahle, COO, Paul Wafer, VP of Marketing, Pat Spongberg, secretary, and Suzanne Ward, treasurer pulled together a team with more than 200 years of nursing experience among them.

“When we decided to build a float to honor Sally, we realized that we also wanted to honor nurses everywhere. Nurses are really the unsung heroes of healthcare and healing,” Weisbrich said. Ten registered nurses were chosen to ride the float in the Rose Parade.

The founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, has a presence on the float as well. The hanging lanterns authentically replicate the lamp she carried when she made nightly rounds during the Crimean War and in the three nightingales on a branch. She “sang loud and clear about what was needed to improve patient care in hospitals,” Ward said. Nightingale also had a pet owl, another reminder of the founder of nursing.

The float used many varieties of grass to mimic the fur and feathers of the animals, which represent the characteristics of a nurse. Approximately 6,000 roses in shades of lavender, pink, yellow, red and orange appear on the deck. Many of them are dedicated to individuals whose friends or family gave a donation of $25 to help cover the cost of the float.

More tidbits about the float and the flowering are in the list attached to this article.

The theme of the 124th Rose Parade was “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” The 125th Rose Parade and 100th Rose Bowl Game will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. The Tournament of Roses is a celebration that lasts several weeks in the fall and winter, with the high points being the Rose Parade presented by Honda and the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO on New Year’s Day.

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  • Inspired by the many qualities nurses have, Bare Root, Inc. and Phoenix Decorating Company created a float to honor the profession of nursing and Tournament of Roses President Sally M. Bixby.  “A Healing Place” won the Craftsman Trophy for “Exceptional Achievement In Showmanship & Dramatic Impact” for floats that are 55 feet or longer.This spectacular float was filled with lifelike animals in a forest glade that provides a sanctuary.  Around the base of the float, black letters list the characteristics of nurses: caring, wise, conscientious, compassionate, gentle, confident.  Animals on the float are metaphors for these and other characteristics.According to Suzanne Ward, treasurer of Bare, Root Inc., the doe and fawn represent the quality of caring, owls represent wisdom and conscientiousness and the rabbit represents fertility, which includes both the work nurses do in that area of medicine and recruiting, educating and nurturing new nurses. Intelligence and the compassion of nurses who work through the night are seen in the raccoon as it gently assists the turtle forward, which calls to mind the patient’s journey to health.  The squirrel represents the commitment that nurses have to their patients, and the birds and butterflies create a supportive environment of “A Healing Place.”
  • Two of the 10 registered nurses chosen to ride The Nurses Float stand at the front, next to one of several lanterns patterned after the one used by Florence Nightingale.  “The Lady of the Lamp” did not carry the wicked Aladdin-style lamp usually portrayed, but a folding lantern.  Read more about the lamp in “Florence Nightingale inspires lanterns.”The turtles, created with various kinds of seeds, represent the patient’s journey to health with the assistance of nurses. 
  • Pasadena City College has a renowned nursing program.  Two students from the school were chosen to ride “A Healing Place: Ariel Eby, SN, and Nicole Brown, SN.Men in nursing were represented by Bob Patterson, RN, MSN, The American Assembly for Men in Nursing.  Retired nurse Sister Terrence Landini, LCM, represented Providence Little Company of Mary Medical, Torrance, Calif.
  • The scale of a Rose Parade float can be seen in the gigantic animals nestled in a forest glade.  Ten nurses representing various donor organizations were chosen to ride the Rose Parade float.  They are Suko Davies, RN, representing Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, Calif., Emergency Department; Cherie Fox, RN BSN CCRN-CSC, representing St. Joseph Health, Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo, Calif., Cardiac Intensive Care Unit; Deborah Keasler, RN, BS, MS, representing Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Pomona, Calif., Director of Cardiac Services; Sister Terrence Landini, LCM, representing Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Torrance, Calif., retired nurse leader; Maureen Latham, RN, representing Sharp HealthCare, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital For Women & Newborns, San Diego, Calif.; Bob Patterson, RN, MSN, The American Assembly for Men in Nursing; Priscilla “Patti” Taylor, MN, CNS, FNP, Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Liver Transplant Unit, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles representing Nurse.com; Cathy Rodgers Ward, RN, DNSc, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, representing Nurse.com; Ariel Eby, SN, Pasadena City College; Nicole Brown, SN, Pasadena City College
  • Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing, had a pet owl.  These owls recall her pet, and also stand for the wisdom and conscientiousness a nurse must have to care properly for her patients.  Note the textures of the feathers, achieved with grasses, seeds, leaves, and what appear to be pods.The squirrel represents the commitment nurses have to those in their care.
  • The massive doe with her fawn illustrate the caring that is foundational to the nursing profession.  The animals are covered in grasses, bark, pods, and many kinds of dry botanicals to achieve the look of soft, flowing fur.The lifelike expressions and eyes are the product of many years of refining float-building techniques, from metal frame to the choice of botanical materials, at Phoenix Decorating Company.
  • As symbols of hope and new life, butterflies graced The Nurses Float in several places. In this close-up with the sun behind, the wings appear as translucent as a real butterfly.  This effect was achieved by using clear plastic for the foundation of the wings, and covering it with seeds.  Though every inch of a Rose Parade float must be covered in botanical materials with no space between, the choice of these materials created a light, airy feel.
  • Three nightingales perch on a branch on The Nurses Float in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.  Also visible in this photo are the twigs used on the cardinal’s nest and a caterpillar crawling on a stem.
  • With a gentle paw help move the turtle along its way, the raccoon represents the intelligence and the compassion of nurses who work through the night to assist their patients.  The animal’s shaggy coat was created with grasses, bark and cotton.  The eyes and nose utilize seeds and other flat materials to achieve the life-like look.
  • Rabbits are often referred to as “cottontails.”  In the case of this bunny, his entire coat is made of cotton.  The material is rolled or fluffed and glued onto the base.  The rabbit represents fertility, which includes both the work nurses do in that area of medicine, and in the recruiting, educating and nurturing of new nurses.The waterfall, though static, gives the illusion of a peaceful cataract in a forest glade.At left is Suzanne Ward, treasure of Bare Root, Inc., the fundraising organization for The Nurses Float.
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, Tournament of Roses Examiner

With 30 years of Rose Parade viewing under her belt, Laura Monteros knows the ropes when it comes to the Tournament of Roses. She's gone to the Rose Bowl game, decorated Rose Parade floats, stood on the street to watch, and organized grandstand seating for 635 people. And that's just the start....

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