Mary Free Bed Guild Names First Executive Director for Historic Organization
The Mary Free Bed Guild is proud to announce the appointment of Amy Stuursma as its first executive director, marking an exciting new chapter in the Guild’s 134-year history of service to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation ,the West Michigan community and beyond. Stuursma brings more than 17 years of nonprofit leadership experience as the executive director of […]
Spook-tacular Fun for Pediatric Patients at Mary Free Bed
With Spooky Season in full swing, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital brought the Halloween magic to its youngest patients with its annual Trunk-or-Treat style event. Pediatric patients and their families enjoyed a haunted “Scare-apy Garden” filled with festive food, games, and trick-or-treating fun. Hospital staff and their families decorated dozens of tables and handed out […]
Championing Change: 18 Women Compete to Empower Disability Voices at Ms. Wheelchair America
For the past four years, the Mary Free Bed Guild has collaborated with Ms. Wheelchair America to host a week-long national competition. Last week, eighteen women made their way to Grand Rapids to compete for the crown. The titleholders met in-person for the first time for a collaborative week of workshops and outings with a […]
Breaking Ground to Brighter Futures for Michigan’s Children
The community came together to celebrate a monumental milestone for children and families in Michigan and beyond. Health care leaders, along with government officials – including Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer – spoke at the groundbreaking event for Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital. The venture is shared […]
Davenport University and Mary Free Bed sign education partnership
Leaders from Davenport University and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation signed an agreement that provides scholarships to Mary Free Bed employees and their family members. The two organizations signed the agreement May 3 at Mary Free Bed. The Mary Free Bed Corporate Education Scholarship Program offers up to $8,000 per year in scholarship funds to Mary Free Bed […]
Mary Free Bed and GRCC Partnership to Help Cover Tuition for Nursing Students
Grand Rapids Community College Nursing students are receiving an opportunity to have their final semester of tuition paid for by Mary Free Bed. Tuition will be covered for nursing students with a one-year commitment to working for the hospital after graduation. Students in GRCC’s Associate Degree and Practical Nursing programs are eligible for this new […]
Teenager with Cerebral Palsy Breaks Barriers and Inspires us All
Loralei DeHoek is a thrill seeker. At age 15, she’s just begun her freshman year at Caledonia High School. Looking back, her summer was one for the books. If you can keep up with her busy teenage schedule, you’ll find Loralei sailing on Reeds Lake, kayaking with friends, competing in Miracle League baseball, playing […]
Bikes for the Rest of Us matches participants with adaptive bikes
More than 70 adults and children with disabilities have been introduced to adaptive bicycling, thanks to the Mary Free Bed Guild. Pre-registered families were paired with therapists matched their physical need with the most appropriate bicycle. Airway Oxygen, West Michigan Bike and Fitness, AMBUCS and Creative Mobility provided the biking equipment. Every rider also was […]
Kyle’s love for Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports moves donors to raise $300,000
The COVID-19 pandemic did little to deter supporters of Mary Free Bed from celebrating its mission to restore hope and freedom. While “Thrive,” the Foundation’s annual gala, looked a little different this year, the result was the same. Instead of one large event attended by hundreds of people, the Foundation offered opportunities for sponsors to […]
Guild awards scholarships for 2020-21 school year
The Mary Free Bed Guild has awarded 18 students a total of $80,000 in scholarships for their academic achievements. The Guild established the Minority Scholarship Program in 2006 to help students pursuing degrees in neuropsychology, nursing, orthotics, prosthetics and rehabilitation therapy programs. The Disability Scholarship Program began in 2013 for students with physical disabilities related to a brain injury, spinal cord […]
Mary Free Bed Shares Expertise Nationally With Launch of Advisory Group
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – During the past 129 years, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan has earned a reputation for outstanding clinical outcomes, superior patient satisfaction and reasonable rates. Because there’ve been regular requests for information and advice, hospital officials decided to create the Mary Free Bed Advisory Group. A division of […]
Mary Free Bed Shares Expertise Nationally With Launch of Advisory Group
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – During the past 129 years, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan has earned a reputation for outstanding clinical outcomes, superior patient satisfaction and reasonable rates. Because there’ve been regular requests for information and advice, hospital officials decided to create the Mary Free Bed Advisory Group. A division of […]
Full Peds Ahead’ initiative betters access to care, creates brighter futures for Mary Free Bed kids
Improving the lives of children and teens with disabilities has been an important part of Mary Free Bed’s mission for more than a century. Recently renamed Mary Free Bed Kids, specialized programs and services continue to evolve with exciting potential. Mary Free Bed is the only inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Michigan with a secure unit […]
Fifth Third Bank joins Foundation’s Community Partnership Program
When selecting organizations to support in the communities it serves, Fifth Third Bank looks for those that may help its own employees and customers. Its mission to strengthen families and build strong communities complements Mary Free Bed’s mission to restore hope and freedom through rehabilitation so people can achieve their highest level of independence. That’s […]
Gardening-as-therapy helps Betty bloom
Betty Wustman loves tending to the flowers at her Byron Center home … bountiful roses and hydrangeas, beautiful flowering baskets and beds, and a house full of African violets. “I love, love, love flowers,” said Betty, 74, who came to Mary Free Bed after being diagnosed with polymyositis, an uncommon condition that causes muscle weakness. […]
Mary’s Therapy Playground provides a fun, healing space for youngest patients
A playground is a happy place where children can explore, learn and grow. At Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, it’s also a haven for healing, hope and freedom. Mary’s Therapy Playground is a joyful new space where the hospital’s youngest patients can work on their rehabilitation goals in a safe, secure and accessible environment. The […]
Brandon says disability scholarship from Mary Free Bed Guild offers ‘opportunity to be independent’
Brandon Buxton wasn’t sure what his future held. Complications related to a long-term health condition caused significant pain that warranted hospitalization and threatened his independence. But rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed helped to restore his freedom and the opportunity to continue his college education, something he thought “was inconceivable” just a few months ago. Brandon […]
Brooklyn raises money for Mary Free Bed to honor her grandma
Brooklyn Hammer is just 8 years old, but she already knows what she wants to be when she grows up. “She’s going to either U of M, MSU or GVSU to become a physical therapist,” said her mother, Sarah. While that may seem like a lofty goal for a second-grader, Brooklyn’s familiar with the field. […]
Mary Free Bed Foundation receives Excellence in Fundraising Award
The Mary Free Bed Foundation has been honored with the 2017 Excellence in Fundraising Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals West Michigan Chapter. The award was presented today at the chapter’s National Philanthropy Day event at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. National Philanthropy Day, established by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, recognizes the impact […]
Fine Arts Exhibition showcases works by artists with disabilities
More than 80 works of art, from paintings to photographs and drawings, will be featured in the Mary Free Bed Fine Arts Exhibition, which opens Monday and runs through June 27. The 35th annual event, sponsored by the Mary Free Bed Guild, will spotlight pieces by 31 artists with disabilities. The exhibition kicks off with […]
Legacy lives on in artwork donated to Mary Free Bed
Pat Seanor met Larry O’Toole in 1969, when they were students at Grand Rapids Junior College. The young, aspiring artists struck up a friendship that continued until Larry’s death in 1986 following a lifelong struggle with rheumatoid arthritis. Larry was just 34 when he died, but his legacy is preserved in his large scope of […]
Gerber Foundation board members visit outpatient pediatric gym
Members of the Gerber Foundation Board of Trustees visited Mary Free Bed for a first-hand look at its new and renovated facilities, including the Pediatric Therapy Gym, where a plaque is displayed in recognition of the foundation’s generous $250,000 gift to the “Join the Movement” capital campaign. “We have the great fortune as a foundation […]
Therapeutic Healing Gardens a powerful union of nature, science
Therapeutic garden spaces will nurture an atmosphere of maximum healing in body, mind and spirit on Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s Grand Rapids campus. The Mary Free Bed Foundation’s Therapeutic Healing Gardens project includes six separate gardens around campus that will greet visitors and provide healing spaces for patients. “A garden is more than just […]
Couple’s generosity helps patients achieve independence
Steele and Mary Taylor are long-time advocates of Mary Free Bed and have made substantial contributions over the years that have helped thousands of patients achieve independence. Steele served as a member of the first community Mary Free Bed Board of Trustees when it was formed in 1965 and led fundraising efforts for construction of […]
Mary Free Bed celebrates grand re-opening of hospital
Grand Rapids, Mich. — Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital celebrated its grand re-opening on Thursday, Oct. 13 in a ceremony attended by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, Sen. Peter MacGregor and Mary Free Bed Guild members, trustees, staff, patients and friends. “For more than a century, Mary Free Bed has demonstrated […]
Mary Free Bed Guild honored by Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Mary Free Bed Guild, which is marking its 125th anniversary, will be inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, which promotes women’s equality by honoring their history and celebrating their accomplishments. The Mary Free Bed Guild was founded in 1891 when a small group of Grand Rapids women established […]
Thank you to our volunteers – National Volunteer Appreciation Week 2016
National Volunteer Appreciation Week is here (April 12-18, 2016) and we love to salute the numerous volunteers who help Mary Free Bed every single day. Volunteers help with everything from administration and clerical duties, escorting patients and families, to helping therapists be an extra hand during rehabilitation. “I am continually amazed and grateful for all that […]
Susan Ford Bales attends Betty Bloomer Ford Cancer Rehabilitation Program dedication
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital officially dedicated the Betty Bloomer Ford Cancer Rehabilitation Program in a brief ceremony on Tuesday, April 12. Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald R. Ford and First Lady Betty Ford, was in attendance. The Betty Bloomer Ford Cancer Rehabilitation Program, which provides high-quality, cost-effective rehabilitative care […]
Excitement building for next phase of expansion, renovation project
As Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital marks the first anniversary of the March 29, 2015 opening of the new West Building addition, renovations to the rest of campus are on schedule and Mary Free Bed Foundation’s “Join the Movement” capital campaign is on target. This transformative project will continue to keep Mary Free Bed on the […]
Mary Free Bed Guild celebrates 125 years
For 125 years, the women of the Mary Free Bed Guild have maintained the hospital’s nurturing culture of restoring hope and freedom through rehabilitation. To mark the significant anniversary of its unique history and vision, the Guild is sharing its story and celebrating its accomplishments with events throughout the year. Visitors touring the new West […]