Amanda Barbour: Taubman Grad to Children’s Healing Center Founder

Amanda Barbour, diagnosed with cancer shortly after graduating from Taubman College, transformed her experience into a mission to help others. As founder and CEO of the Children’s Healing Center, she developed gathering spaces for immunocompromised children and young adults. Her education equipped her with design thinking skills that were crucial in this endeavor.

After working with former dean Mónica Ponce de León, Barbour returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan, joining AMDG Architects. Frequent illness led to a stage four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis. “By the time they found it, it had spread throughout my body,” Barbour recalls.

Assigned to a pediatric care team, she met others who felt isolated. “We all understand it now post-COVID, but in 2010, not a lot of people knew what it felt like to be told you couldn’t go into public places,” she says. This experience inspired her to envision safe spaces for socializing.

Barbour’s education at Taubman College inspired her vision for the Children’s Healing Center. “I deeply believe that buildings and environments and how they’re designed have the power to impact and influence people’s lives,” she states.

Proof of Concept

After treatment, she launched a nonprofit, opening her first center in Grand Rapids in 2015. Her architectural background helped her pitch this innovative space to funders and program experts.

The centers offer hospital-grade facilities with HEPA air filtration and host a variety of programs. Barbour explains, “Their families and friends don’t understand what they’re going through, but when they come to the center, they can be in a space where they can exhale.”

Expansion plans followed, with a second center opening in Ypsilanti in June 2024, thanks to collaboration with U-M’s Mott Children’s Hospital and state funding.

Ask an Alum

For organizational growth, Barbour recruited Taubman College alumna Sarah Velliky, who transitioned from project architect to manager of design & construction. Velliky’s involvement extends from volunteering to overseeing mechanical systems.

Velliky shares, “Seeing these kids and hearing their parents tell us, ‘This kid was having a bad day, and then we told them we were going to go to the Children’s Healing Center and their faces lit up’ — that makes it worth it.”

Barbour, a Taubman College pioneer, reflects on her formative experiences. “The energy of the studios and students designing and learning has always been really memorable and inspiring for me.”

“Taubman College empowers students to come up with unique ideas,” Barbour adds. “A Taubman education gives you that confidence.” Her journey exemplifies how education can fuel transformative change.