Shriners’ statue unveiled at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital

New statue honors mission to transform children’s lives 

Charleston, S.C. (April 30, 2025) – Leaders from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Shriners Children’s hosted a special ceremony today to unveil a new statue outside the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. The event celebrated MUSC’s vital role as a regional hub for pediatric burn care in the Southeast with Shriners Children’s support.

“This is an amazing opportunity to highlight our collaboration with an internationally recognized organization that has a similar mission,” said Saj Joy, M.D., chief executive officer, MUSC Health-Charleston Division. “Together, we will continue to provide the highest quality of care for the patients we are privileged to serve.”  

The statue depicts a Shriner carrying a young girl in one arm and her crutches in the other, symbolizing the organization's mission of compassion and care.

Shriners Children’s is renowned for its advancements in pediatric burn care, history of pioneering techniques, research that has shaped modern burn treatment and training of the next generation of providers to continue its legacy. 

“We are proud of this collaboration that brings access to high-quality burn care to children of this region and beyond,” said Shriners Children's Chairman of the Board of Trustees Leslie D. Stewart, M.D. “This statue is near and dear to our hearts. We at Shriners Children's and the Shriners fraternity call it the ‘Editorial Without Words’ because it expresses at a glance the commitment and compassion of both of our organizations as well as the dedication to our mission of changing and improving the lives of children.”

Through the collaboration with Shriners Children’s, MUSC is expanding access to the state’s only pediatric burn center and ensuring that more children with serious burn injuries receive MUSC’s specialized care.

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About MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion

The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital (SJCH) consists of 250 beds and opened in February 2020 as a replacement facility for the MUSC Children’s Hospital, built in the late 1980s and formerly located on Ashley Avenue. More than 200 care team members, MUSC leaders, administrators and family and patient representatives were instrumental in the concept, design and building of this facility. By providing the most advanced pediatric care possible in more than 27 specialty areas, in person or through a robust telehealth network, SJCH includes a Level 1 trauma center and Emergency Department, the state’s only pediatric burn center and solid-organ and bone marrow transplant programs, the state’s largest Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit, an advanced maternal fetal medicine center and a top-2 ranked U.S. News & World Report children’s Cardiology & Heart Surgery program, which functions through a nationally unique statewide collaboration of pediatric heart surgeons and cardiologists.

Housed within the SJCH, the Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion (PTWP) seamlessly integrates children’s care and obstetrical services, thereby enhancing safety and improving outcomes in high-risk pregnancies. We understand that everyone plans for a healthy, normal birth, and for those who have that outcome, we want them to enjoy our top-notch labor and delivery care. Not all families have this opportunity, and they, too, deserve a place of compassion, expertise and excellent care. Working collaboratively with the advanced maternal fetal care center for families expecting babies with complex congenital birth defects and medical problems, PTWP care providers are one of only a handful of teams in the country able to offer couplet-care rooms, where newborns and mothers can recover together in an intensive-care setting.

About Shriners Children’s

Shriners Children’s is changing lives every day by providing innovative pediatric specialty care, conducting research to improve the quality of lives, and of care, and offering outstanding educational programs for medical professionals. We provide patient-centered care in several areas. All care and services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay or insurance status. 

Shriners Children’s is a nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. For more information, including the full range of care available, please visit shrinerschildrens.org.