About Children's Hospital Association

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) is a dedicated group of caring volunteers working to raise funds to support programs and services at Children's Minnesota. Over its more than 90-year history, CHA has contributed more than $27 million to Children's Minnesota.

Many of the programs CHA funds rely solely on philanthropic support and would not be viable without it. CHA's financial support ensures that kids and families visiting Children’s Minnesota have access to the best - and most holistic - pediatric care in the Twin Cities.

St. Paul Children’s Hospital was founded in 1923 by Dr. Walter Ramsey. The first hospital building was a framed house on the corner of Smith and Walnut Streets. In 1929, the hospital moved to a new location at 311 Pleasant Avenue.

In 1933, when the Great Depression prevented children and families from having access to the care they needed, Children’s Hospital Association stepped up to raise enough money to ensure that 70 children could be cared for in our local community. Since then, Children’s Hospital Association has gone on to support over 1 million patients.

When the organization started the Free Bed Fund, our goal was to enable care for families who couldn’t afford it. Our mission today remains the same. Not only do we want to fund care for those that cannot afford it, we want to increase access and increase support. Of course, we also want to ensure that the costs of providing access and additional support will never show up on a patient’s bill. Since our philanthropic beginning in 1933, CHA has gifted more than $27 million to Children’s Minnesota.