Rich DeVos gets a hug from Helen DeVos Children's Hospital patient Tabitha Fuller at the annual holiday party long supported and hosted by Helen DeVos and family. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Mary- Ann Meyer, also known as Mrs. Claus, meets Rich DeVos. This was the first DeVos holiday party at the hospital since the death of Rich's wife, Helen, on Oct 18, 2017. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Santa holds 2-week-old, Hunter Smalley, probably the youngest holiday party goer joining the fun. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Donovan Moser, 8, visits with Santa before he gets to go home from the hospital. Donovan will be home for Christmas. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Olivia and Monreau DeVos are photographed with Santa and Mrs. Claus and friend Peter Stewart. Olivia and Monreau attended many of the holiday parties with their grandmother Helen. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Dancers of the West Michigan Youth Ballet present excerpts from their production of The Nutcracker during the party. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
West Michigan Youth Ballet dancers pet Spectrum Health K-9, Cain. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Officer John McGarry, dressed as the 'Grinch' joined the Christmas party with his dog, Cain, dressed as the Grinch's dog, Max. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Rich DeVos, Amway co-founder and community philanthropist is greeted at the party by Spectrum Health President & CEO Richard C. Breon. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Rich praised the "people who work in the hospital and make these wonderful miracles happen. It takes people to help people." (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Rich gets a kiss from his and Helen's daughter, Cheri DeVos. Coming to the party and supporting the work of the staff "means everything," Cheri said. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Robert Connors, MD, the president of Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, spoke of the "magic of the partnership" between the DeVos family and the hospital named after Helen DeVos. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Maria DeVos, right, Vice Chair of the Spectrum Health Foundation Board of Trustees is shown with her children and other family and friends at the party. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Rich talks with, from left, Spectrum Health's Tina Freese Decker, executive vice president, Gwen Sandefur, hospital group president, Darryl Elmouchi, MD, medical group president and Dr. Connors. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
"She was a great woman and a wonderful wife," Rich said of Helen. He is photographed with Dr. Elmouchi, Dr. Connors, Rick Breon and Tina Freese Decker. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Stephen Sanford, artistic director for West Michigan Youth Ballet and Olivia DeVos are shown with dancers during the party. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
A dancer from the West Michigan Youth Ballet performs a dance for patients at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
'Nutcracker' characters bring leaping dance to the holiday party in the Balk Cafe. "When we celebrate the joy of this season, we will always feel Helen's spirit is here with us," Dr. Connors said. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
West Michigan Youth Ballet performed dances from The Nutcracker for patients as the Christmas party. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Luke Alstead, 11, decorates a cookie with his grandmother, Bev Heible. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Donovan Moser, 8, was able to take home a stuffed animal before leaving the hospital. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Tabitha Fuller gets a "Merry Christmas" greeting from Rich DeVos. The 7-year-old girl from Belding was delighted to discover the party after she finished her doctor's appointment. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
“It’s fun,” said Tabitha Fuller, as she browsed the gift table, cuddling a soft teddy bear.
The 7-year-old girl from Belding was delighted to discover the party after she finished her doctor’s appointment.
“She missed her school party today because she was here,” said her mother, Dawn Parrish. “This is going to make her really happy.”
Bringing holiday joy to kids amid the challenges of medical care is the goal of the annual event, which has been long supported and nurtured by Helen DeVos. The event on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, was the first holiday party at the hospital since the death of DeVos on Oct 18, 2017.
Her spirit lived on in the four generations of her family who joined the gathering.
“She was a great woman and a wonderful wife,” said her husband, Rich DeVos. The Amway co-founder and philanthropist looked around at the festivities and said, “We’re honored to be here.”
He praised the “people who work in the hospital and make these wonderful miracles happen. It takes people to help people.”
As part of the celebration, the DeVos family provided gifts for the child life specialist program at the hospital. They included a range of items to improve quality of life for infants through teens, including a virtual reality technology unit, strollers, mobiles and weighted blankets.
Coming to the party and supporting the work of the staff “means everything,” said Cheri DeVos, the daughter of Rich and Helen.
“It’s what she would have wanted,” she said. “She was so keen on continuing the efforts of the hospital and making sure they didn’t ever falter.”
The items used by the child life specialists “were really, really important to her and therefore they became very important to us―even more so, now that she’s gone,” she said.
Also attending the party were two of Helen DeVos’ great-great-grandchildren, Clara, 6, and Sloane, 4, who came with their parents, Rick and Melissa DeVos.
“We are missing her very much,” Rick said.
He remembered helping his grandmother prepare for the annual Christmas party years ago.
“We used to go to Toys R Us together and pick out gifts, and we’d have a wrapping party at Grandma and Grandpa’s,” he said.
Even at 6, Clara had a sense of the tradition involved, Melissa said.
As they talked about their plans for the day, Clara told her mother, “I know why we are going to the children’s hospital. We are going to see the kids that are there. And it’s also for Grandma Great, because she would have been there.”
Robert Connors, MD, the president of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, spoke of the “magic of the partnership” between the DeVos family and the hospital named after Helen DeVos.
“Out of that has come joy―joy to the world and joy to our children,” he said. “When we celebrate the joy of this season, we will always feel Helen’s spirit is here with us.”