Mark Grimes
Music and medicine have a natural connection for many people. For Mark Grimes and his mother Marjorie, music has been a part of their entire lives. And so has Dayton Children's Hospital.
Marjorie, now in her 90s, earned her Master's degree in music at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in the 1950s, and her carefully researched thesis on music therapy was cutting edge medicine at the time. The first collegiate music therapy programs were established in the 1940s, and the Registered Music Therapist certification did not appear until 1956.
Marjorie loved music and helping children then and now. And she passed those passions on to her son, Mark. As a young child, Mark was a regular visitor at Dayton Children's - known as Barney Children's Medical Center at the time. Marjorie took time away from teaching elementary school music to stay home with her children, but she continued giving piano lessons from home as well as teaching her own children.
Fast forward to 2023: Mark is the treasurer of Sweet Manufacturing in Springfield, a member of the Springfield Rotary, and a dedicated supporter of Dayton Children's. And he wanted to honor his mother not just with a gift to the hospital, but something more personally meaningful.
A presentation by Dayton Children's music therapists Shannon O'Hara and Lindsey Steinbrunner sparked his interest, and he knew it was a perfect fit. Music therapy is used in the hospital's inpatient, mental health, and newborn intensive care units to help kids and families reach their health goals. Singing, playing instruments, songwriting and moving to music promotes creativity, decreases stress, helps with pain management, gets kids moving, and helps kids cope with being in the hospital, among other benefits.
Mark wanted to support this program through a donation to fund take-home music activity kits, which allow kids to continue making music and getting healthier after they leave the hospital. The kits include items such as a kazoo, percussion shakers, a small drum and other easy to use instruments that encourage movement, rhythm and fun. Each kit also includes a card honoring Marjorie and her passion for music therapy and working with children.
Marjorie was surprised and honored by this thoughtful gesture. But for Mark, knowing that his mom's love of music will live on through a legacy of helping children heal is the greatest "thank you" he could give her. And children who receive the music kits will have the joy of knowing that a caring family in our community made it all possible.