The Commons

I spent a day this week in Detroit – a city much of the country seems to have written off.  Violent crime is three to five times the national norm.  Average home price is just north of $18,500.  City unemployment stands at 21 percent.  Foreclosure announcements recently took up 137 pages of the Detroit Free Press. (More details at www.theatlantic.com.) And the Lions posted the first 0-16 record in NFL history.

But there’s one place where optimism is rampant.  Staff members at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan are upbeat about their institution and proud of the contribution their work makes to the region.  Maybe it’s because their mission and range spread beyond the urban core with its many challenges.  Maybe it’s because they’ve managed to sustain one of the top children’s hospitals in the nation even in the face of economic challenges.  Maybe it’s because great pediatricians and researchers continue to choose to do their work at CHM.

But I think it’s because of the kids.  They come in every day – maybe a little afraid because it’s “the hospital,” maybe tired, maybe fussy.  But they find a place that’s built for them, where people know that kids just want to feel good, play, learn, and grow up healthy.  They find a place with a smile and an open heart.  They find hope, treatment, and – in the great majority of cases – a lasting cure.

All parents want absolutely the best for their children – and a top-quality children’s hospital is a bet on the future, a bet on our families.  After all, if we give up on kids’ health, we’re giving up on hope.  And our kids just won’t let us do that.

- Rob Moore, Managing Partner

Tags: children's hospital, community organizations, fundraising, healthcare, nonprofit