The asphalt is so new that you still feel the smell of oil. The green grass outside the building is just unrolled and far too soft to walk on.
There have been rash days at Ronald McDonald House in Gothenburg, where families with sick children can stay for months and years.
"I was here last week and then there was a lot of things that were not clear. They have worked really well, "said Hockey goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist.
He and the charity organization Henrik Lundqvist Foundation have contributed to two thirty-one rooms in the new wing of the hospital - and it is a proud Lundqvist who shows up his "room", which he created with the interior of BittraBritta.
"I wanted to get to Åre, Gothenburg and New York - and I think we managed to do that," he says, showing little details from his habitats.
Overall, the expansion costs SEK 26 million, and now another 250 families per year can live with their children as if they were at home.
The first donation was $ 700,000 - and now it will be more.
"We will donate two million kronor to the next three years," says Henrik - and when he does it at the inauguration, people cheer as if Rangers just scored a goal in Madison Square Garden.
"You are very concerned when you are in that situation"
For Lundqvist, it's an obvious choice, a way to give back.
"I meet many families and children who go through difficult things. But before you stand there, it's hard to put it into one hundred percent, I think. You are very concerned when you are in that situation. When you're there and meet the kids. And it's not just those who are sick, but also siblings and parents. It takes a lot of effort. This house is perfect, where they can be together and gather energy ...
Henrik's wife Therese, who also works with charity, is included in the background but rarely goes into the limelight.
"That's what Henrik is so much better at. He likes it in a completely different way. He is so good at this. He is extremely good at talking to children in these difficult situations. He does not see the disease, but he just sees the opportunity - and an opportunity to be happy, she proudly says.
"We have a clear target picture"
14-year-old Eddie Svensson from Kinna has lived at Ronald McDonald House since it was built with mother Johanna and Syrian Selma. He has some trouble with the intestines, but slowly it moves forward. Two steps forward, one back.
He accompanies and puts his handshake together with Henrik Lundqvist - and together they are smiling ambassadors for the new building, which opens when hundreds of colorful balloons are released to the blue sky.
On August 26, after some training in Frölundaborg, the Lundqvist family returns to the Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan, New York.
New season in NHL, the thirteenth for Rangers.
"The goal and feeling when you enter for the season have been the same in recent years. We have a clear goal image, we want to win. It is always exciting when we get new plays. From the outside it looks good. It only applies to the fact that we get everything to work. The fact that the young guys who have taken steps in recent years continue to develop, making them important to us.
Exciting?
- Yes, it's always exciting to come to the camp and see where we are standing ... this time I get along with Lias Andersson. I've heard a lot about him, but did not even form my own opinion. It will be fun to get to know him as an adult too. The last time, he was only five years old, haha.
Henrik Lundqvist, 35, has contributed 700,000 SEK to sick children.
Now he pumps two million into the organization.
"We feel strong for the project and hopefully more such houses in Sweden can be built," says the NHL star.
Henrik Lundqvist was a teenager when he first visited the Ronald McDonald House at the Eastern Hospital in Gothenburg.
"It was a lot of concern for me to see what the families went through and you understood how lucky you were. Since two or three years back, we have supported the organization here in Gothenburg and it feels great fun. Families can come here and stay when their children are sick so that they can be together for a difficult period and gather energy, says the hockey goalkeeper.
What do you concretely contribute?
- Money. And then we try to make some visits every summer when we are at home. It has felt very good and we have just announced that we want to drive another three years and donate another couple of million to the organization.
Then Henrik Lundqvist's room looks like
The house has just been built for 26 million and the number of rooms has increased from 29 to 41. 850 families can stay here for a year and on average, a family stays for three weeks. Henrik Lundqvist and his wife Therese have financed two of the new rooms.
"I have had a dialogue with interior designers and sent stuff to them. It looks great and has a nice character. Little Åre, a little New York and some hockey, of course, he says in connection with the opening of the expansion.
"As a parent, it's incredibly difficult to imagine what it would be like to get here, I do not think it's going to happen until you get hurt." I hope families can find a security here and meet others who go through similar things. I think that means incredibly much to them.
What is the next step?
"I leave that to decision makers, but there are very many cities that do not have a Ronald McDonald house so we may build more. There are holes to put the money in. This fall we know more concrete, but first we will celebrate the completion of this expansion.
Former Frölunda hero's dedication is celebrated
Anna-Karin Norrman is Head of Business in Gothenburg, highlighting the New York Rangers Keeper's personal commitment.
- There is nothing he does on the surface, but he is genuinely interested. That means that he supports us. Not only economically but also PR-based. We can not imagine a better ambassador, she says.
http://www.expressen.se/gt/sport/henrik-lundqvist-skanker-miljoner-till-sjuka-barn/?social=twtr
http://www.gp.se/sport/ishockey/henke-skänker-två-nya-miljoner-till-sjuka-barn-1.4548226
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