The Legacy of Le Bonheur

The Name We Depend On

As a Midtown parent, I’ll be honest: I sleep a little better at night knowing that two world-class children’s hospitals are within two miles of my front porch. St. Jude’s Research Hospital is caring for critically ill pediatric cancer patients around the clock, innovating new treatments, and providing free care to every single patient (a modern miracle) while I put my little ones to bed each night.

But right in the heart of the downtown medical district, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital also stands as a beacon for excellence in medical aid. Recognized as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, Le Bonheur has long been an integral part of the city; caring for our children, advancing research, and being a name we can trust when things go sideways for the most precious ones among us.

A History of Compassion

In 1850, widow and mother Sarah Leath, gave a gift of property to the Protestant Widow’s and Orphan’s Asylum of Memphis and the Leath Orphanage was founded. Following significant contributions from the Porter family in the early twentieth century, the name of the institution was changed to the Porter-Leath Home and the legacy continues today in the form of the Porter-Leath Foundation, a vibrant non-profit that supports low-income families with programs to enrich educational and developmental experiences from birth to adulthood. 

In the 1920’s, however, a few volunteers at the Leath Orphanage found that the children were often in need of blankets and clothing. A sewing circle was born. The women gathered regularly and one member, Elizabeth Gilliland dubbed the charity club “Le Bonheur” - “the good hour” in French. A short time later when Elizabeth’s brother was treated for polio at the Crippled Children’s Hospital, she urged the Le Bonheur club to begin making dolls and provisions for the hospital as well as Leath Orphanage. The young women of Le Bonheur were solidifying their club as more than just a social gathering, but a charitable foundation set to meet the needs of sick children in the community. Le Bonheur soon took to sponsoring individual children with severe needs and financially supported at least one child throughout her life.

When the doors of Le Bonheur were opened in 1952, Elise Pritchard tied the hospital keys to balloons and released them into the sky, saying, “The doors of Le Bonheur will never be found closed and will forever hereafter be open to those who come in need, seeking its help."

As the Methodist Healthcare system began to bloom within Memphis, the need for multiple hospitals became evident. By 1950, ground was broken on a modern, 89-bed children’s hospital at Adams and Dunlap. The City of Memphis agreed to lease the property for only $1 a year. When the ribbons were cut on Le Bonheur’s Children’s Hospital in 1952, Elise Pritchard, president of the LeBonheur Club, tied the keys to the hospital on balloons and released them into the sky. This hospital would never be closed to a child in need.  "The doors of Le Bonheur will never be found closed and will forever hereafter be open to those who come in need, seeking its help." 

The Modern Le Bonheur

In 2021, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center was named a “Magnet” institution by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Recognizing excellence in nursing practices, only 7% of American hospitals receive this achievement. As the city’s Level 1 pediatric trauma care facility, the hospital sees upwards of 14,000 children a year and completes almost 9,000 surgeries. And the 255-bed medical center has been running into the new century with plenty of goals for expansion. Le Bonheur’s $327 million, 610,000 square foot building was one of the largest construction projects in Memphis’ history. Could you imagine a better cause?

From handling broken bones to separating conjoined twins, Le Bonheur has been a constant for locals and the international community alike for 70 years. I think it says something about our city that we host some of the finest pediatric healthcare in the country. Le Bonheur is one more reason I’m glad to be a Memphian.