When the price of corporate donations is too high

When the Columbus Children’s Hospital agreed to name a new lobby after two retail chains to thank their corporate parent...

When the Columbus Children’s Hospital agreed to name a new lobby after two retail chains to thank their corporate parent for a $5 million donation, everyone was all smiles. The same was true when the Ohio hospital renamed itself Nationwide Children’s Hospital, to acknowledge a $50 million gift from Nationwide insurance, a large local company. But a coalition of children’s advocates contends that the hospital went too far by agreeing to name a new emergency department and trauma center after another locally based retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, in exchange for a $10 million donation.

The coalition, which includes the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, several pediatricians and Parents for Ethical Marketing, is asking the hospital to reconsider the decision made in June 2006 to accept the donation. The plea is being made now because ground is to be broken this year for the building to house the emergency and trauma facilities. The 15 organisations and 80 individuals that compose the coalition contend that naming the new center after Abercrombie & Fitch — known for provocative advertising and revealing clothing — sends a grievously wrong message.

“It is troubling that a children’s hospital would name its emergency room after a company that routinely relies on highly sexualised marketing to target teens and preteens,” the members of the coalition wrote in a letter that was sent on Tuesday to the hospital’s office in Columbus, Ohio. The complaint is an example of negative reaction to the increasingly prevalent practice of naming public facilities after corporate sponsors, donors and supporters.

Story continues below this ad

Opponents who complain about the growing commercialisation of the American culture are upset that private companies are able to brand stadiums, parks, schools, school buses and hospitals. About a dozen hospitals across the country bear corporate or sponsor names, including at least two other children’s hospitals: Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA in Los Angeles and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, the pediatric division of Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Naming a facility for Abercrombie & Fitch “is more egregious,” said Susan Linn, the director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood in Boston, because of the reputation of the retailer as “among the worst corporate predators” for “sexualising and objectifying children.”

“Selling corporate naming rights is a slippery slope, and this is way down that slope,” said Linn, who is also the associate director at the media center at Judge Baker Children’s Center, an affiliate of the Harvard Medical School. The opponents of the company’s campaigns, which are typically shot by the fashion photographer Bruce Weber, contend they cross the line by presenting undressed teenagers and 20-somethings in overly sexualised situations. The firm describes its ads as playful and celebratory of the free spirit of today’s young Americans.

Jon M Fitzgerald, the president of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation said, “I like to focus on the philanthropy of it,” he added, “I don’t feel comfortable addressing” any of the objections raised in the letter. “Two years ago, Abercrombie & Fitch made a very significant philanthropic gift,” Fitzgerald said. “In honor of that gift, we chose to offer recognition of their tremendous support of our organisation.”

Debris found in Dal Lake could be from missile Pak fired during Op Sindoor

India1 hr ago

Debris believed to be from a missile fired by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May has been found in Srinagar's Dal Lake. The debris has been handed over to the Air Force for further investigation. Sources say the target may have been a military installation in Srinagar, which is close to the lake. The make of the missile is yet to be determined.

View all shorts

Live Blog