Article content material

There was a candy unhappiness at CHEO on Saturday as Mollypenny, the establishment’s beloved therapeutic clown, did her ultimate walkabout earlier than heading off into retirement.

Article content material

As she put it just lately, it was time “to climb aboard the spaceship MollyPop and journey into the longer term.”

Article content material

Mollypenny, also called Ruth Cull when out of character, has determined to retire and go away her massive, floppy footwear on the youngsters’s hospital to take some large subsequent steps.

Mollypenny was fêted Saturday outdoors CHEO with the Building Group Cares group, which organized a parade of building autos previous the hospital.

After all, Mollypenny had a spot of honour on the ultimate automobile.

Shouts of, “We love you, Molly” may very well be heard all alongside the route. There was no scarcity of clown costumes within the crowd, both, together with CHEO boss Alex Munter with a vibrant pink foam clown nostril.

“I had just a few tears,” Mollypenny mentioned. “I acknowledged numerous the faces.”

Article content material

On the finish, tearful hugs from households who had recognized Mollypenny for nearly 20 years wrapped up Saturday’s occasion. Then she drove off in a pink convertible VW Beetle with CHEO Basis workers.

The hospital subsequently introduced that the Nationwide Capital Heavy Building Affiliation and Ottawa Building Affiliation had donated $30,000 to the CHEO Basis in reference to Saturday’s occasion.

With information and images from Ashley Fraser