A promise and a legacy
February 21, 2025Jason Houghtaling Memorial Fund
Grants from the Jason Houghtaling Memorial Fund are helping to support a new outpatient pediatric cancer clinic. The James Fahner, M.D. Outpatient Clinic at the Ethie Haworth Children’s Cancer Center opened in spring 2025 in Grand Rapids and is part of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
The new, world-class facility will serve 1,300 children each month with crucial services such as chemotherapy and infusion, diagnostic testing, follow-up appointments, and supportive care. The clinic is named for Dr. James Fahner, a leader in child and family health for more than 33 years. Fahner is considered the founding father of the pediatric hematology and oncology program at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
“We are proud to partner with the Houghtaling family on this gift to the James Fahner, M.D. Outpatient Clinic,” said Shelly Kasprzycki, our president and CEO. “This new clinic will provide crucial care for West Michigan children in the spirit of excellence that has always characterized Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.”
The grant is inspired by the memory of Jason Houghtaling, a Fremont teen diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the early 1980s. Before Jason passed away, his father, Paul Houghtaling, promised to dedicate the rest of his own life to fighting childhood cancer. Along with friends and neighbors like David Johnson, Paul created a fund in Jason’s name to support cancer research and assist families impacted by life-threatening childhood diseases. For years, money for the cause was raised during annual Strokes Against Cancer golf tournaments and fundraisers.
The Houghtaling family has remained committed to advancing research and helping others. This work introduced them to Dr. Fahner in 1988, when Jason’s fund supported Dr. Fahner’s fellowship. Paul and his wife, Carol Houghtaling, have stayed in touch with Dr. Fahner in the years since.
“We are so grateful for Paul and Carol’s generous gift to the James Fahner, M.D. Outpatient Clinic at the Ethie Haworth Children’s Cancer Center at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital,” said Kristin Long, lead foundation specialist, major gifts and planned giving, at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Their philanthropy, through the Jason Houghtaling Memorial Fund, will support and elevate lifesaving pediatric cancer care for our patients through expansion of the new clinic space. The Houghtalings’ passion and kindness will help to ensure every child and family receives the most compassionate, patient-centered care, and when they need it the most.”
The Jason Houghtaling Memorial Fund and the Strokes Against Cancer fundraisers that preceded it have granted thousands of dollars since 1984, including multiple research grants to the University of Michigan, Duke University, and Mayo Clinic. Support was also awarded to the pediatric department of Gerber Memorial Hospital, and a 2013 grant funded research equipment at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
Photo courtesy of Corewell Health Foundation West Michigan
