Children’s hospital stands as lasting legacy for the DeVos family

Emily Linnert
·4 min read
2

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A big announcement today from the DeVos family. The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation is winding down after more than five decades of philanthropy.

Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation to end after 54 years

As you look around West Michigan, you can’t miss the mark the DeVos family has left on the community from the arts, economic development, education, faith and health care.

One of the couple’s most enduring gifts that has touched thousands of lives is the shiny blue building on the Michigan Mile opened its doors in 2011.

“Mom was never one to be in the spotlight,” Doug DeVos said with a laugh.

For the thousands of families who have found answers and cures inside Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, the spotlight shines brightly on the building that carries her name.

Son of Richard and Helen, Doug DeVos says his family’s interest in healthcare started with his father’s engagement in the merger of Butterworth and Blodgett Hospitals. During that process it became apparent there was a gap in children’s healthcare in West Michigan.

“One of the main reasons for doing the hospital was so that families wouldn’t have to travel elsewhere. So we would have these resources, these services, closer to home,” Doug DeVos told News 8.

Dr. James Fahner, the executive director for HDVCH’s philanthropy and the division chief emeritus for the children’s cancer program, says the hospital has made a huge impact in a small amount of time.

DeVos Family donates $50 million to children’s hospital, rehab, mental health

“It was really not that long ago at all when you think about it. … If their child had a catastrophic illness or injury, those families had to be uprooted and sent very quickly across state or even out of state to get to the services of a children’s hospital,” Fahner told News 8.

These days, families from around the state and beyond come to Grand Rapids’ Medical Mile for world-class healthcare.

generic helen devos_418878
generic helen devos_418878

“There is no question that the advances we enjoy because of the world-class services of HDVCH, they just would not be here without community support and without life-changing philanthropy from individuals like Rich and Helen over the years,” Fahner said.

Fahner was part of the initial meetings when the DeVos family and others came together to dream about what a children’s hospital could mean for West Michigan.

Sign up for the News 8 daily newsletter

“For them, it was more than a philanthropic gift. It was an investment of their hearts and their compassion,” he said.

In 1990, the Helen DeVos Women’s and Children’s Center opened inside Butterworth Hospital. The iconic blue building next door opened more than 20 years later in 2011.

Last year, HDVCH served more than 328,000 patients.

“They thought about the outside of the building and what it looks like, but they also thought a lot about the inside of the building and how it was going to work. How it was going to work for patients, but how it was going to work for the families, as well,” Doug DeVos said.

New Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital blended unit aims to serve ‘whole child’

It makes sense that the final gift from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation was $20 million to the Hospital’s Child and Family Life Program. This created a permanent endowment for the program that provides music therapy, safe play areas, education and support for children and their families as they undergo treatment.

Doug DeVos said his parents knew a facility like the children’s hospital would add vibrancy and quality of life to West Michigan, saying they knew it would draw people to the area and be something the community could be proud of.

An inside look at the intensive care unit at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. (WOOD TV8 file)
An inside look at the intensive care unit at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. (WOOD TV8 file)

“Many of the messages I hear from people in the community about the hospital, just make you cry, you just fall apart,” Doug DeVos said.

Behind every tear, there is a story of a child and a family. Fahner recalls annual Christmas lunches with the staff at the hospital. Helen would pull a letter from her purse. Her favorite of the year of many she no doubt received from thankful parents, grandparents and families.

Helen DeVos patients get to build a stuffed animal

“She would read that letter to us and there was never a dry eye in the room,” he said. “It was one of the most important moments for us because it was this wonderful stamp of approval that they were pleased to be part of the lives of those children and families and to really make a difference in their lives.”

As the sun sets on the decades of giving from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, the future is bright and the giving in West Michigan will surely continue.

“The closing of the foundation, in their minds, created the opportunity for other people to engage in their own way: with their own heart, passion, partnerships, areas of expertise and capabilities they can bring,” Doug DeVos said.

Said Fahner: “The really wonderful thing about that is the investments they made are so enduring. They have left a powerful legacy in this community. which the people and organizations will be able to benefit from for many, many years.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.