Background
Michigan Athletes at Mott
Every year, hundreds of Michigan student athletes visit C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital—and time and time again their presence brings hope and inspiration to the children there. This experience prompted the athletes who participate in the Griese/Hutchinson/Woodson tournament to return to Ann Arbor, this time to work together to support the incredible care, research and healing that takes place at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
This tournament represents a powerful collaboration between professional athletes and sponsors who donate time, resources and talent to improve the lives and hearts of children everywhere. The impact of their visits to Mott during their college years meant so much to them that they come back annually to again spend time with the very sick children and support fundraising efforts for the new hospital.
This exciting event inspires all participants to team up for our future champions—our children. Please join us in thanking all Michigan athletes for the cheer and goodwill they continue to spread to our kids. Go Blue for Mott!
The New Mott Hospital
With the help of our generous friends and donors, 50 percent of this tournament’s proceeds will help with the construction of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. These funds will have an immediate and important impact on our individual patients and their families and will help to provide the new state-of-the-art University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital. We’re taking the next step to ensure that future generations of children and women will have even greater access to care.
Our New Hospital—Opening October, 2011
The new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital is reaching new heights—literally! Steel construction has been completed on the 12-story inpatient tower, and the 9-story clinic tower is currently under construction.
Fast facts about the new Mott Hospital
- Scheduled to open in 2011, the new facility will total 1.1 million gross square feet.
- It is the second largest construction project in Michigan, just behind the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit.
- The facility will include a 9-story tower for clinic space, and a 12-story tower devoted to inpatient care that will bridge inpatient and outpatient services within the same medical disciplines to create a programmatic approach to patient care on each floor.
- Patients and their families—as well as teams of more than 450 current Mott and Women’s faculty and staff—provided input for the new facility’s layout and design.
- Plans are underway to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The facility will have full wireless internet access and will employ a “paper-light” strategy by reducing the printing of paper documents wherever possible.
- To date, the U-M Health System has raised more than $70 million of its $75 million goal for the new facility.
The new hospital will provide highly specialized care to more children and will enhance groundbreaking research that, simply put, saves lives.
» »Read more about the new Mott Hospital and take the virtual tour on the Mott Hospital website…
Congenital Heart Center
Mott Hospital is a place where children from across the United States and around the world find the most comprehensive care to treat the most complex medical problems. The University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center is a world leader in treating congenital heart malformations—the most common type of birth defect, currently affecting nearly 1 percent of all children.
Over the past 30 years, our internationally acclaimed pediatric cardiology experts have saved thousands of lives by developing and conducting clinical research and applying their discoveries to treatment of the most severe heart defects. At Michigan, world-renowned medical specialists conduct groundbreaking research that translates into better outcomes for pediatric heart patients on a regional, national and global scale.
In addition to our clinical expertise, the Michigan Congenital Heart Center is a leader in preparing the next generation of experts specializing in cardiac care for children. Our exceptional faculty helps train more than 20 residents and fellows in pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery on an annual basis, making our Center one of the largest and best training programs in the country.
Intrinsic to our educational and clinical missions, members of the Michigan Congenital Heart Center are actively involved in state-of-the-art research that is targeted at understanding the mechanisms of congenital heart disease and, most importantly, improving treatment and long-term outcomes. The clinical and translational research program within the congenital heart center is supported through the Michigan Congenital Heart Outcomes Research and Discovery (M-CHORD) program. The M-CHORD program provides the infrastructure and expertise for developing and conducting clinical research, including epidemiologic outcome studies and clinical trials of drugs, devices and other interventions.
With government support for research and research training rapidly declining, resources to maintain and grow our education and research initiatives are becoming scarcer. The Michigan Congenital Heart Center relies on contributions from philanthropic efforts among individuals, corporations and foundations to help support a large proportion of our research infrastructure and our research training responsibilities. Due in part to the Griese/Hutchinson/Woodson tournament, worthy research projects are made possible, improving treatment and long-term outcomes for children with heart disease.
» » Get more information on the Michigan Congenital Heart Center on the Center website.
Heart of a Child Foundation
A powerful and meaningful partnership
Thanks in part to the generosity of Raghu and Rashida Mendu and the Heart of a Child Foundation, the inaugural Griese/Hutchinson Celebrity Golf Tournament took place on May 21, 2007. Drs. John Charpie and Rick Ohye of the Michigan Congenital Heart Center and 1997 U-M National Champions Brian Griese and Steve Hutchinson joined efforts to make this event a tremendous success. With the support of celebrity athletes, the media and our generous sponsors, this tournament will continue to generate funds for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the Michigan Congenital Heart Center and a named advanced training fellowship in honor of Samara Mendu.
The story of Samara Cursetji Mendu
Samara Mendu was born in 1994 with several complex congenital heart defects. Her heart—which had several holes in it—had formed on the opposite side of her body, and the major blood vessels arose from the wrong chambers, among other congenital cardiac anomalies.
In the short 22 months of her life, Samara underwent open-heart surgery three times. Much to the delight of her family and physicians, Samara did extremely well with her recovery following the first two operations. Her short life was full of joy and laughter, and she touched everyone she met with her vibrancy and spirit. Sadly, Samara passed away after her third open-heart surgery in March 1996.
In honor of the beautiful life she lived, a portion of the tournament proceeds each year will benefit The Samara Mendu Fellowship Fund to benefit the Michigan Congenital Heart Center. This Fund will provide highly specialized training in pediatric cardiac intensive care for physicians wanting to devote their lives to battling congenital heart defects, thereby furthering the mission of the Heart of a Child Foundation and physicians and staff at the Congenital Heart Center.
Special thanks to Raghu and Rashida Mendu and the Heart of a Child Foundation for their determination to transform their personal tragedy into an enduring legacy to improve the chances of survival for other infants and children born with congenital heart defects.