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For a century, Shriners Children’s has stood at the forefront of pediatric specialty care, helping thousands of children live fuller, healthier lives, with a reputation for finding answers and giving families hope. We invite you to join us in honoring 100 years of extraordinary care, innovation and impact.
Founded in 1922, Shriners Children’s is a unique healthcare system driven by compassion, excellence and the unwavering belief that every child deserves access to life-changing care, regardless of the families' ability to pay or insurance status.
Since opening its doors in 1926 in a 50,000 square foot, red brick hospital, Shriners Children’s Chicago has been a sanctuary for children in need of specialized orthopedic care. In the hospital’s beginnings, only families who could not afford to pay for treatment were accepted. Children often stayed for months – sometimes years – receiving not just medical care, but compassionate support that gave them a chance to thrive.
Orthotics and prosthetics were once handcrafted in the basement from steel and leather. Today, the facility employs modern fabrication techniques to deliver custom devices that restore mobility and dignity. Throughout the decades, Shriners Children's Chicago has continually advanced care, from pioneering orthopedic residency programs, to expanding services to include spinal cord injury rehabilitation and cleft lip and palate treatment.
In 1981, the current hospital was built to meet growing demand, and further renovations in the 2000s enhanced both inpatient and outpatient care. In 2010, our approach, but not our mission, changed to include the billing of private insurance and government programs such as Medicaid. While our methods and facilities have evolved, our mission remains constant: to improve the lives of children through advanced, compassionate care.
We invite you to explore our legacy and consider how your support can shape the next century of impact.
Shriners Children's is very unique in that they’ve adapted and grown to what patients and their families need in a certain era or time period.
Shriners Children’s Chicago proudly marks 100 years of delivering world-class pediatric specialty care – made possible by the vision of generous supporters and the dedication of an extraordinary medical team.
As we look ahead to our second century, we invite you to join us in advancing our mission: to elevate care, accelerate research and train the next generation of medical leaders. Together, we aim to provide the best care to more children in the right places with greater impact and value than ever before. Your support is not just a gift to a hospital, it’s a legacy that will transform lives for generations to come.
