Norco artist raises money for Children’s Hospital with unique ornaments

Sisters Summer Zeringue McCune and Riley Zeringue pose in Children’s Hospital, a place close to both of their hearts.

Children’s Hospital in New Orleans holds a special place in Summer Zeringue McCune’s heart, and this is the third year that the NolaBee founder and artist will raise money for the hospital and its patients through the sales of a limited-edition Christmas ornament.

“Children’s Hospital is like homebase for my family,” McCune, a Norco resident, said. “My little sister Riley Zeringue knows the hallways of this hospital all too well. At an early age she was diagnosed with Spina Bifida. Since then, she has had 12 major surgeries with her most recent being February of 2020. My little sister is a walking miracle to our family and her doctors.”

McCune said she and her family have spent countless days and nights in the hospital with Zeringue.

“I was there as a child coloring on the waiting room floor and in 2020 I was sketching in my sketchbook for NolaBee,” McCune said. “Riley and my mom are two of the strongest people that I know.”

The annual ornament sales started in 2020.

“It’s really exciting for me to do this … to use my art in this way and to feel like I’m giving back for my sister,” McCune said, adding that her own child’s medical case has most recently brought her through the halls of the hospital again. “I hope that people can see them as a collectible. My plan is to come up with a Louisiana-themed ornament especially for the hospital every year. My little sister is my hero for sure.”

McCune said all proceeds from the sales of each $12 ornament is donated to the hospital, and that in addition she also donates ornaments to children at the hospital.

Zeringue, who turns 22 this month, is making her own mark at Children’s Hospital by completing a college internship there currently.

“It makes me feel extremely proud,” she said of McCune’s fundraising efforts. “It makes me feel so extremely blessed to have a sister who would do something like this. Children’s is definitely a second home to me … it’s given me excellent opportunities and it continues to be a place where great things happen for me.”

McCune said there are a limited number of 2020 and 2021 ornaments still available, and that sales of the 2022 ornament will be open through the month of December.

For more information on NolaBee or to purchase an ornament visit nolabeemade.com.

 

About Monique Roth 919 Articles
Roth has both her undergraduate and graduate degree in journalism, which she has utilized in the past as an instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University and a reporter at various newspapers and online publications. She grew up in LaPlace, where she currently resides with her husband and three daughters.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply