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3785 Veterans
Drive
Traverse City, MI 49684
231.946.8975 |
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3434 M-119,
Suite F
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
231.347.4463 |
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Dr. Mark Osterlin began searching for safe havens for
mistreated and ailing Northwestern Michigan children. The respected and renowned
pediatrician had come to Traverse City to practice at the Children’s Clinic, where
some rural patients needed medical treatment but did not require hospitalization. He also
treated battered children, yet had no alternative but to return them to unsafe homes,
fearing they would again suffer abuse. The region’s children needed a refuge, Dr.
Osterlin believed. Some needed temporary boarding; others needed permanent adoptive homes.
Dr. Osterlin turned to the Michigan Children’s Aid
Society, whose efforts on behalf of children elsewhere in the state were gaining
recognition. In 1937, at Dr. Osterlin’s invitation, the Society opened an office in
Traverse City. Through this office, rural children were able to receive needed medical
attention, and battered or neglected children found temporary safe harbor in boarding
homes and with adoptive families.
Dr. Osterlin exemplified the lasting impact one person could
have on future generations. He was a mentor, an innovator, and an advocate for children.
Because of his wisdom, compassion and foresight, thousands of children have grown up in
safe homes and become productive citizens. That is his legacy. The work he began in 1937
continues today at Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan.
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