University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Foundation Endowments

The Sparrow Hospital Guild was a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting and improving patient care through volunteerism and fundraising. Founded in 1924 as The Edward W. Sparrow Clinic Guild, the organization was formed by volunteers to create and manage a free pediatric clinic serving local families in need. This continued a tradition of community healthcare support that began in 1896, when the Women's Hospital Association opened a 10-bed hospital that eventually grew into the 44-bed Edward W. Sparrow Hospital. 

Throughout its decades of service, the Guild broadened its focus from pediatrics to support areas of greatest need across many departments and service lines. The Guild sunset in 2024, marking a century of remarkable work and dedication. 

Over its history, the Guild raised more than $2 million to enhance patient care at UM Health-Sparrow. The organization supported numerous initiatives, including:

• Hospice services
• Thoracic Cardiovascular Institute equipment, including a cardiac nuclear camera
• A Living Wall in the Gathering Place at UM Health-Sparrow Lansing, commemorating the Guild’s 90^th anniversary
• Women's Center diagnostic waiting room renovation
• Radiation oncology waiting room renovation
• Pediatric and neonatal intensive care equipment

The Sparrow Hospital Guild Endowment continues to accept donations and benefits the area of greatest need at UM Health-Sparrow. 

Jonathon (1983-2024) was born into a life of numerous surgeries and winding roads of recoveries. On the day of his birth, Jonathon had his first surgery to treat his Spina Bifida. This earmarked the beginning of a long journey undergoing more than 100 procedures to save or improve his quality of life.

But Jonathon is a warrior. Despite all the adversity he has faced throughout his lifetime, Jonathon embodies a heroic spirit that is evident to everyone he encounters. Throughout the course of Jonathon’s treatment, his family has been grateful that the UM Health-Sparrow Subspecialty Clinic provided a central place to receive care from multiple medical specialists in one place, at one time.

In appreciation for the care Jonathon received, the Gingas family created The Jonathon R. Gingas Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic Endowment in 2022. The endowment supports the Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic with essential needs including advancing technology, equipment, education, operational support, research, outreach, programs, and more. This endowment will help provide Mid-Michigan families with the facilities and services they need to receive comprehensive medical care close to home!

East Lansing resident, wife, and mother of three, and grandmother of five, Debby Harrison was in excellent health. With no family history of breast cancer, Debby scheduled a proactive mammogram at UM Health-Sparrow to stay ahead of the curve. What should have been a routine mammogram became a life-changing diagnosis.

A personal message from Debby Harrison:
Thanks to early detection, I am a survivor.

A second opinion reaffirmed: I had breast cancer. Further investigation revealed that I had Stage 0 and Grade 3 cancer cells. In 2010 after a lumpectomy, I began my six-week radiation treatment at the Herbert-Herman Cancer Center.

You never think that it will happen to you.... until it does.
If you are reading this and in doubt of getting a mammogram, please do so...

During the course of her treatment, Debby realized how fortunate she was to have been diagnosed early. She decided she wanted to help other women in the community who didn’t have access to the same resources she had during her cancer journey. Inspired by Dr. Jim Herman, Debby and her late husband Michael started the Deborah L. and Michael G. Harrison Breast Care Endowment. Established in 2012, this endowment provides permanent funding for breast cancer education and quality imaging care for all women of Mid-Michigan. Debby's extraordinary generosity in establishing this designated fund is matched only by her passionate dedication to increasing education about the importance of mammograms.