Joan and Neal Allen: Gift Ensures Specialized Pediatric Care

Joan and Neal Allen were happily married for more than 50 years. They raised two daughters, had two grandchildren and were actively involved in their community. Throughout the years, their shared passion for children and their community remained a fundamental part of their daily lives.

"Joan personally cared for young patients for several years at New York Hospital while serving as a nurse in the pediatric emergency room," Neal said. "After moving to Atlanta, we became interested in the work of Scottish Rite Hospital and were hugely impressed with the scope and quality of its accomplishments and the sincere devotion of its staff."

In 1995, the Allens decided to create a legacy gift to benefit Children’s in the form of a charitable remainder trust. Joan and Neal felt this special legacy gift would help ensure that children in the community would continue to have access to specialized pediatric care.

"Mom loved caring for others, especially when it came to children. That was a personal character trait that never changed—if anything, it continued to grow over time," said Tracy, Joan's daughter.

When Joan passed away in 2014, her family continued to honor her passion for children by giving an additional legacy gift to Children’s that will continue to grow and impact young lives.

The Allen family also donated $5 million to further enhance Critical Care Services at Children’s. In recognition of this extraordinary gift, our new Critical Care Unit at Scottish Rite was named the Joan W. Allen Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to honor her incredible love of children.

Children’s is known for its Critical Care Services, providing the life-changing and often life-saving intensive care that infants and children need. Half of the Allen family's gift was earmarked for redesigning and enhancing the Intensive Care Units at Children’s. With the establishment of the Joan W. Allen Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Children’s will be better able to meet the growing need for this highly specialized comprehensive care—not just for the patients, but for their families as well.

As part of their $5 million donation, the Allens generously allocated $500,000 to support new programs targeting developmental care education for nurses, physicians and staff, as well as to create the Parent Empowerment and Resiliency Program.

The final piece of this generous gift established the Joan W. Allen Intensive Care Endowment Fund. Through this fund, our Critical Care Unit nurses will receive in-depth training in critical developmental care on an ongoing basis, ensuring our staff maintains the highest level of expertise. In addition to training, the endowment will enable our critical care team to purchase new state-of-the-art, life-sustaining equipment and technology.

Thanks to these remarkable gifts and the heartfelt tribute to Joan Allen, families in our community and state will have access to the very best in critical care for generations to come.

Leave a Legacy at Children’s

To learn how you can make a planned gift that will make a difference at Children’s, please contact Ward Sullivan at 404-785-9809 or ward.sullivan@choa.org.