About Champions For Children's Hearts
Our Mission: Our Children
Brian Griese, Steve Hutchinson and Charles Woodson are honored to partner with former teammates and supporters from around the world to benefit the new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and the renowned research conducted at the Michigan Congenital Heart Center. Our mission is clear: to support the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility for women and children, and to fund education and research aimed at improving outcomes worldwide for children with heart defects.
Helping Kids, Healing Hearts
Since the inaugural golf tournament in 2007, this event has evolved into a weekend of activities complete with a Friday kick-off dinner, visits to Mott Children’s Hospital, gala dinner and auction, golf tournament and awards dinner. Former University of Michigan football players and 1997 National Champions Brian Griese and Steve Hutchinson spearheaded this effort to raise money for the new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and its Congenital Heart Center. Charles Woodson joined them in 2011 and together they are leading former teammates, sponsors and participants from across the country to support this worthy cause.
Thanks to proceeds from this event, our new hospital opened on December 4, 2011. The 2013 event will focus on two programs housed within the walls of this new facility of children's health; the Michigan Congenital Heart Center (MCHC) and the Charles Woodson Clinical Research Fund (CWCRF). Leaders in their field, MCHC team members continue to improve treatment and long-term outcomes for children with heart disease. The CWCRF supports research investigators whose work is in its earliest stages and whose ideas have the greatest potential to generate transformational leaps in childhood diseases.
Additionally, worthy research projects made possible solely through philanthropy are being conducted at the world-renowned Michigan Congenital Heart Center. In six years this Golf and Gala Weekend has raised over $5 million for Mott. In 2011 we reached unprecedented success, as the efforts of many help raise over $1.8 million that will benefit the new Mott and change children's lives.
Steering Committee
Co-Chairs:
Brian Griese
Event Co-chair
Steve Hutchinson
Event Co-chair
Charles Woodson
Event Co-chair
Co-Founders:
Raghu Mendu
Heart of a Child Foundation
John Charpie
MD, PhD, Division Director, Pediatric Cardiology,
Michigan Congenital Heart Center
Rick Ohye
MD, PhD, Division Head, Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery
Michigan Congenital Heart Center
Steering Committee Members:
Rich Rogel
University of Michigan Special Representative
Rob Pollock
Senior Investment Consultant, Captrust Financial Advisors
Mott Board of Advisors
Christian Tennant
President, Christian Tennant Custom Homes
Vic Strecher
Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, HealthMedia, Inc.
Mark VanSumeren
Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, Owens & Minor
Timothy & Ann Kay
Parents of 2 Mott patients
Timothy Kay, Vice President, Project and Development Services, Jones Lang LaSalle, Americas, Inc.
Gary Karp
Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs & General Council, Sherwood Food Distributors
John Myefski
President, Myefski Architects, Inc.
Steve & Teri Furr
Steve Furr, Johnson Controls
Mike Vollmar
U-M Athletics, Associate Athletic Director
Steering Committee Consultant:
Lloyd Carr
Co-chair of Champion's for Children Campaign
Contact Us
For more information about the weekend, please contact
Gene Skidmore
University of Michigan Office of Medical Development
1000 Oakbrook Dr., Suite 100
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-763-6154