Nicklaus Children’s Celebrates Lunar New Year with Grand Opening of Panda Cares® Center of Hope

MIAMI, FL (February 20, 2026) – This Lunar New Year, Nicklaus Children’s is celebrating the grand opening of the Panda Cares Center of Hope, made possible by Panda Express® associates and guests through Children’s Miracle Network®. Their generosity is helping make big change, for all kids.

Located in the Advanced Pediatric Care Pavillion at Nicklaus Children’s, the new Panda Cares Center of Hope is a thoughtfully designed, dedicated space that offers a calm and uplifting setting for healing beyond medical care. Designed with warm and child-friendly elements, the space promotes comfort, connection and emotional well-being for patients and their loved ones.

Panda Express has raised $790,900.95 to date for the Panda Cares Center of Hope at Nicklaus Children’s as part of a ten-year commitment stretching through 2030. Funds raised year-round at registers in participating Panda Express locations throughout South Florida, as well as associate giving, make this space possible. The Panda Cares Center of Hope inspires hope and promotes healing by providing specially curated programs that address each child’s entire well-being, including their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs. Programs offered at the Nicklaus Children’s Panda Cares Center of Hope include therapeutic play, art therapy, meditation and counseling services, designed to give children the courage and strength to thrive.

“Philanthropic partners like Panda Cares play a critical role in how we care for children and families beyond the bedside,” said Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System. “The Panda Cares Center of Hope reflects our shared commitment to treating the whole child – mind, body and spirit – and provides our patients and families with meaningful resources that promote healing, resilience and hope during some of life’s most challenging moments. We are deeply grateful to Panda Express associates and guests for making this space possible.”

Nicklaus Children's Hospital Foundation President, Allison Baker, Nicklaus Children's Hospital Chief Clinical Operations Officer, Dr. Marcos Mestre, Panda Restaurant Group Area Coach of Operations, McKay Pond, and a Nicklaus Children's patient cut the ribbon alongside Panda Express' Pei Pei at the grand opening of the Nicklaus Children's Panda Cares Center of Hope. Nicklaus Children's Hospital Foundation President, Allison Baker, and Nicklaus Children's Hospital Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Marcos Mestre, pose with Children's Miracle Network and Panda Express/Panda Restaurant Group leadership and associates at the grand opening of Nicklaus Children's Panda Cares Center of Hope. Nicklaus Children's Hospital patient meets pet therapy horse, Pegasus, in celebration of Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse at the grand opening of Nicklaus Children's Panda Cares Center of Hope.

“We are proud to partner with Children’s Miracle Network to bring the vision of the Panda Cares Center of Hope to life and are humbled to be part of the healing journey for the families and kids at these hospitals,” said Dr. Peggy Cherng, co-founder and co-CEO of Panda Restaurant Group. “Children are our future, and through this partnership and curriculum designed to give children the strength to thrive, we will bring smiles and hope to communities nationwide.”

Panda Cares Centers of Hope across the country are made possible by donations from Panda Express associates and guests. Funds raised in-store and online at Panda Express benefit each store’s local community. Following a multimillion-dollar commitment to Children’s Miracle Network to fund Panda Cares Centers of Hope, Panda and Children’s Miracle Network have debuted Center of Hope locations at over 75 in the U.S.

Since 2007, Panda Express and Children’s Miracle Network have been a symbol of hope for children in need of care. To date, Panda has raised over $200 million for hospitals affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network, including Nicklaus Children’s. Panda Express guests and their associates in South Florida have raised over $1 million for Nicklaus Children’s since 2007.

About Nicklaus Children’s, Where Your Child Matters Most ™
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children’s has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children’s offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center’s De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of more than 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children’s is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children’s Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children’s Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children’s also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center. For more information visit nicklauschildrens.org.

About Panda Express®
Panda Express, the largest Asian dining concept in the US, is a family-owned and operated restaurant brand founded in 1983 by Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng. Driven by a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express is recognized as a trailblazer in American Chinese cuisine. The company has pioneered iconic dishes like The Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, creating a variety of industry-first recipes. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by authentic Chinese flavors and culinary principles. With over 2,500 locations across the country and a presence in 11 international countries, Panda Express continues to share American Chinese cuisine with the world.

Powered by a global family of associates, Panda Cares®, Panda's philanthropic arm, has raised more than $449 million and has dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 17 million youth, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2021, Panda Express established the Panda CommUnity Fund™ — a five-year, $10 million community investment and response program that supports immediate and sustainable solutions from national and local organizations to uplift diverse groups, including people of color and other marginalized communities. For more information about Panda, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.

About Children’s Miracle Network
For more than 40 years, Children’s Miracle Network® has been a symbol of hope, elevating possibilities for every child in need of care. As the leading charity impacting children’s health, we unite people, partners, and programs to raise urgently needed funds for children’s hospitals across the U.S. and Canada.

Wherever you see our iconic balloon, you’ll find donors, corporate partners and fundraising programs joining forces to help hospitals meet their most critical needs, from life-saving treatments and advanced equipment to innovative research and family support. Every dollar raised supports the local children’s hospital, bringing brighter futures within reach for all kids.

Learn more at cmn.org.