With the school season upon us, Making Spirits Bright would like to highlight one of our most scholastic community partners: The University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital.
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is a pediatric acute care hospital located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With over 300 pediatric inpatient beds, the hospital has been ranked the #1 children’s hospital in the state of Michigan for 18 years as of 2025. The hospital provides specialized and subspecialized pediatric care to people aged 0-21 throughout not only Michigan but surrounding states as well, and is one of only three children’s hospitals in Michigan to have a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. As Mott Children’s Hospital states on their website, “Our mission is to integrate clinical care, education, research, and advocacy to advance the health status of children, women, and their families and communities statewide”.
While the original building was constructed in 1969, the University of Michigan opened its first pediatric program in 1903, marking one of the first pediatric units in the country. Later in 2011, a new facility was completed, now making the hospital the largest of the three children’s hospitals in Michigan and one of the largest in the United States. The hospital also has a separate psychiatric ward for adolescents that is strategically placed within the hospital to allow access to other services for youths with other limited medical needs. There is a 12-story inpatient wing and a 9-story outpatient wing. Each inpatient room is private and features an extra bed for a parent, as well as a large window that connects patients with the outside world.
Like Making Spirits Bright, Mott Children’s Hospital understands the importance of education. This is why they provide a hospital school program for children and young adults through their Child and Family Life team. This program employs certified teachers to help children keep up with their schoolwork and remain engaged at their schools. Mott has a classroom located on the 12th floor that is open on weekdays to allow students time to receive instruction with daily sessions. There are also bedside lessons available to those who are unable to leave their hospital rooms. Mott Children’s Hospital staff understand how difficult living with chronic illnesses, conditions, or injuries can be for children and strive to make each and every child feel included and cared for. School liaisons are employed to help bridge the gap between scholastic and medical matters and provide schools, caregivers, and patients with the necessary tools to allow for a child’s academic success.
To help continue to support these efforts and allow sick children access to education, Making Spirits Bright has donated over 2,000 books via the University of Michigan Credit Union, providing children with diverse, accessible, and entertaining literature where they can find relatability in characters and learn important and valuable lessons.
Mott also offers other services to provide comfort and mental well-being to their patients. For over 90 years, Mott has been providing patients with animal therapy to boost well-being. As of today, 6 service dogs are employed full-time across Mott Children’s Hospital and University Hospital and are there for patients year-round. You can learn more about them here. Mott’s website has a list of support groups for parents and caregivers to attend based on specific medical conditions. Mott has a list of social workers who are familiar with the difficulties families can face when going through a hospitalization or illness, with more information available here. This is just an example of the numerous services offered by or through the hospital.
If you would like to find out how you can help give to the patients at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, you can use this LINK to their “Giving” page, which lists several ways to help make a meaningful contribution. You can follow their Instagram and Facebook to keep up with them.
Ava Heiler is a Michigan-based comic artist, publicist, and amateur roller-blader pursuing a BFA in Sequential Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design. As an artist, she has a deep love and respect for picture books and the people who make them, as she believes they are an integral part of every childhood.
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