Every child, parent, and health care provider who has come through the doors of Children’s Hospital of Michigan has been touched in some way by the compassion and generosity of those who give.
For over 120 years, the community has consistently supported Children’s. In 2003, community volunteers decided to help further ensure the mission of the hospital by forming a foundation which would provide an added level of support. Its volunteer Board of Directors is composed of community leaders, financial experts, and committed philanthropists. All share a passion for protecting the health of children by raising charitable support for pediatric medicine.
The Foundation’s work directly benefits today’s patients and enables innovative research that creates tomorrow’s breakthroughs. The Foundation ensures that both small gifts and major endowments move the mission of improved child health forward.
Your donation to the Foundation can fuel miracles that will last a lifetime and beyond.
Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation
Board of Trustees
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Cynthia N. Ford, Board Chair
As the child of a Naval physician, Cynthia grew up in a medical family, but it was not until she had settled into the Detroit area as a young wife and mother that she became active with the Children's Hospital of Michigan. Beth Fisher, a long-time Children's Hospital trustee and close friend of Cynthia's, asked her to serve on the board, thus beginning more than two decades of continuous involvement with the hospital. Cynthia is currently the vice chair of the hospital's Board of Trustees. Cynthia's passion for children is obvious considering that she served as president of the board of trustees of the University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods for 10 years. She lives in Grosse Pointe Farms.
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Patrick R. Kelly, Executive Director
Pat serves as both executive director of the Children's Hospital of Michigan Foundation and vice president of development for the hospital. He was previously vice president of development and communications at the Van Andel Institute, a bio-medical research center in Grand Rapids. He formerly worked in advertising and marketing for the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, including five years in Singapore. He helped form the board for the McCarty Cancer Foundation, which helped him make the transition to full-time work in the non-profit sector. Pat resides in Birmingham.
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Jonathan S. Aaron
As assistant to the president at Guardian Industries, Jonathan's involvement with Children's Hospital goes back nearly a decade with his first volunteer assignment - reading to kids and pushing them around on the game cart. Jonathan lives in Bloomfield Hills and now has two young sons of his own. While he is thankful they have never needed care at the hospital, he is grateful for its presence and is committed to ensuring that Children's remains the pre-eminent pediatric health care facility in the state.
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Maurice J. (Jerry) Beznos
Jerry has served on the Children's Hospital Board of Trustees for more than two decades and has been heavily involved in fund raising. In 1997, he co-chaired a campaign that raised $30 million for the Children's Research Center of Michigan. His first contact with the hospital was also deeply personal, when his infant daughter (now grown) required open heart surgery. Jerry, a resident of Franklin, is co-owner of Farmington Hills based Betzak Properties, a real estate development firm.
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James F. Carr, Jr.
Jim, a retired investment counselor who lives in Okemos, serves on the board to honor his family. He remembers coming down to Children's Hospital in the early 1960s, when his older brother, David, was diagnosed with leukemia. His mother, the late Joanne Cline Carr, was a long time volunteer in the hematology-oncology clinic and was instrumental in establishing the Child Research Center League, the predecessor of the Children's Research Center of Michigan at Children's Hospital.
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Larry E. Fleischmann, M.D.
As past president of Children's Hospital of Michigan, Larry is well aware of the fiscal needs of the institution. During his tenure as president there were several improvements made in the hospital. Examples include a new MRI center and a remodeled emergency room. Larry believes that focusing on philanthropy is a perfect transition for him after turning over command of the hospital to Herman Gray M.D.
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John Ginopolis
John's relationship with Children's Hospital is also deeply personal and goes back more than 30 years when his young son, Georgie, was treated for a blood disease. Although Georgie didn't survive, John and his wife Marion were deeply impressed with the entire staff of the facility - doctors, nurses, and other staff - everyone. For more than 25 years, John helped organize an annual golf outing and "Taste of Excellence" event that raised more than $4 million for the hospital. A tasting event is appropriate, given that John literally grew up in the restaurant business, and now operates one of the metro area’s best known dining spots - Ginopolis on the Grill in Farmington Hills. A resident of West Bloomfield, John has served on the Children's Hospital Board of Trustees since 1984.
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Brian Hermelin
Brian is the second of three generations of the Hermelin family with a close connection to Children's Hospital. His father, David, was a long-time board member, and Brian's oldest child was born with a serious medical condition and received treatment at the hospital. Seeing first hand the loving care and compassionate staff convinced Brian that through his background in corporate finance, he could help strengthen the long-term future of the hospital. A resident of Oakland County, Brian is managing partner of RockBridge Equity Partners, a private equity firm located in Livonia.
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Jack Krasula
Five years ago Jack sold his IT services company and then founded Trustinus, LLC, a premier executive search firm. He is also the host of Anything is Possible, a Sunday evening interview show on WJR that features successful people who have come from humble beginnings and how they feel committed to giving back to the community. His association with Children's Hospital began when former board chairman, Joe Horonzy, gave Jack a tour of the hospital.
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Steven R. Lefkofsky
Through personal experience, Steven has some idea of what the young patients at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan are going through. As a child, he was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and experienced many of the same feelings of nervousness and uncertainty that children with medical conditions face today. Now that Steven is a father, he wanted to make a difference for other children who also suffer from childhood illnesses. He feels Children’s Hospital is the cornerstone of Detroit pediatric medicine and wants to do all he can to support it. A civil litigation attorney with the firm he co-founded, Lefkofsky & Gorosh, P.C., Steven resides in West Bloomfield with his wife and three children.
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Edward C. Levy, Jr.
Ed is a local business and community leader. He is a long time supporter of the Children's Hospital of Michigan and has served on the hospital's Board of Trustees for more than 20 years.
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Jeanne M. Lusher, M.D.
Jeanne is one of the premier pediatric hematology/oncology physicians and medical researchers in the world. A Distinguished Professor at Wayne State University where she has taught for more than 35 years, she is also the Marion Barnhart Chair in Hemostasis Research, and a member of the University’s prestigious Academy of Scholars. Dr. Lusher co-chairs the Division of Hematology/Oncology and is director of the Hemostasis Program at Children's Hospital. She has authored more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as more than 60 book chapters, and has made more than 350 presentations. She lives in Rochester Hills.
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Rita Margherio
Rita’s involvement with the Children’s Hospital of Michigan began with the Festival of Trees (FOT) where she worked as a volunteer in the gift shop. She has chaired numerous FOT committees, served on the Board of FOT for many years including two as Board Chair, and co-chaired the FOT event once. She is currently on the Children’s Hospital Medical Affairs committee and is Treasurer of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation Board.
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Lewis J. Nedelcoff
Lew consulted a close friend about getting involved with Children’s Hospital more than 10 years ago. Since that time, he has been very active with the hospital by setting up two endowments which support the Child Life Department and has introduced dozens of new donors to the hospital. He considers being elected to the Board of Trustees at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation the greatest honor of his life and hopes to make a difference in the lives of the young patients served by the hospital. Lew is Managing Director and Branch Manager for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Bloomfield Hills.
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Anita Masters Penta
Anita has a strong personal connection to the hospital. Thirteen years ago her nephew, Nicholas, was born with a heart defect, and she has worked tirelessly to give back any way she could. She has provided philanthropic support for tissue research coordinated at the hospital through the Perri Family Foundation. Anita lives in Grosse Pointe Shores and is a transition specialist for the Redford Union Schools.
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Dick Purtan
Arguably the best-known media personality in Detroit, Dick is the host of "Purtan's People" on Oldies 104.3 WOMC-FM. He has been inducted into both the National Radio Halls of Fame and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. In recognition of his community involvement, the Detroit News named him "Michiganian of the Year" in 1993. Dick, who lives in West Bloomfield, has served on the Children's Hospital Board for 25 years and has personally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the hospital.
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Patricia Rodzik
Patricia has been connected to Children’s Hospital since her daughter needed several eye surgeries. It was through that experience which led her to volunteer at the hospital. She worked in the emergency room before there were patient advocates and in the burn unit holding, feeding and transporting children. She is a graduate of the Washington School of Protocol and has taught etiquette in various school districts in the metro area as well as conducted staff training at private clubs. Patricia lives in Bloomfield Hills and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Opera Theatre.
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Jatinder-Bir Sandhu
Jay, a resident of Northville, has a deep personal connection with the hospital dating back to 1975 when his sister, Ramandeep, was a patient. Although she didn't survive, Jay's family was impressed with the care she received and the dedication of the staff. Jay is president of NYX, and manages the operations of 14 facilities and 2000 employees of the automotive supplier. He began with the company 16 years ago as a production manager, and during his tenure as Chief Financial Officer, he oversaw the purchase and integration of eight acquisitions.
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William M. Wetsman
Bill's involvement with Children's Hospital dates back to 1960, when he helped the Variety Club raise money for the first pediatric endocrine clinic in the city of Detroit. As the owner of a chain of movie theaters, Bill was instrumental in the Variety Club's annual movie premier event - one of the hospital's best-known fund raising efforts for many years. Bill was a founding member of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation Board of Trustees in 2003. A resident of Birmingham, he also served on the Board of Trustees of the hospital for 17 years.
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