Jean Anderson, School of Nursing faculty, joined dozens of nurses in building the Nurses’ Float in more than 40 hours over the course of three days for the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. The float, “A Healing Place,” won the Craftsman’s Trophy for outstanding showmanship and dramatic impact for floats that are more than 55 feet in length.
Anderson spent approximately 20 hours and finished about 80% of the red cardinal at the front of the float that rested approximately 15 feet off the ground on a scaffold. Details of the float included gluing thin layers of coffee grounds to form birds, individual sprigs of pampas grass to form portions of the deer and the raccoon, and two inch circles of twirled palm fiber to form portions of the deer.
“A Healing Place” was inspired by the qualities of a nurse that make it possible to create healing places anywhere and under any circumstance. The qualities of nurses are reflected in the design of this float: caring, commitment, compassion, confidence, conscientiousness, and intelligence. Nurses bring these qualities to create “A Healing Place” using wisdom, skill, and versatility to nurture and educate their patients to prevent illness or gently helping them heal. The float honors all nurses for the tremendous impact they have on each patient entrusted to their care.