Conine Clubhouse Supports Families Traveling For Care at Joe Dimaggio Childrens Hospital

Nine-year-old Braysen Gleicher is a baseball fan, so it was certainly a thrill the day he got to meet a former major league ballplayer. But his recent interaction with Jeff Conine, a longtime Weston resident that won two championships with the Florida Marlins, meant even more, especially considering where it took place.

The two connected outside the Conine Clubhouse at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, a place Braysen, his mom, Megan, and dad, Jeff, know well. The Gleichers are Lake Worth residents that have stayed at the hotel-like facility four times, before and after each of the young boy’s surgeries to correct cleft lip and cleft palate issues.

Families can stay at the clubhouse for free while their son or daughter is being treated at the children’s hospital. “It takes the weight of the world off our shoulders and allows us to focus on our child, not on finding a hotel and coordinating transportation,” said Megan Gleicher. “It lets us to step out of the hospital room and have a quiet place to go yet know we’re still just three minutes away.”

The Gleichers also appreciate interacting with other families staying at the facility, knowing there’s a community of people who understand the mental, emotional, and physical stress they are experiencing.

The cost of operating the clubhouse and its current expansion to 27 rooms is underwritten by the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation, primarily through fundraising events staged with Jeff and Cindy Conine.

The couple will host the 29th annual Conine All-Star Golf Classic on January 23, 2023, and add to the more than $7 million dollars that has already been raised through philanthropy, enabling more than 25,000 families to stay at the facility since it opened in 1997.

“Jeff and Cindy have been two of our greatest ambassadors and continue to make a difference for families impacted by pediatric health issues,” said Kevin Janser, president of the children’s hospital’s nonprofit foundation. “They committed to helping our community at the beginning of Jeff’s baseball career and have never stopped, even well into his retirement from the game. We’ve very blessed to have a nearly three decade-long relationship with the Conines.”

That’s a sentiment echoed by Megan Gleicher. “I hope Jeff understands the legacy he is leaving and the impact he has had on so many people. It’s so much more than what he did playing baseball. He and his family truly care about kids, parents, and our community.

They’ve had a huge impact on our family, but it’s not something you’d know if you weren’t going through it like we have. The clubhouse has given us a place to call home during some of the most trying times we’ve had.”

Visit the Conine Clubhouse to learn more or to donate to ensure families will never have any cost to stay there.