Every day, donors like you make gifts of all sizes to build a healthier future for children and expectant mothers. Your support makes our hospital a special place for our patients and families, and we are tremendously grateful.
$50 Million Gift from Gordon and Betty Moore Transforms the Children’s Heart Center
In March, Gordon and Betty Moore made a $50 million gift, the largest from an individualto Packard Children’s since the hospital’s founding gift from David and Lucile Packard. In honor of this gift, Packard Children’s internationally renowned Children’s Heart Center will be named the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center. The gift provides funding for clinical and research facilities, an endowment for the Center’s highest strategic priorities, and endowedpositions for faculty to lead specialized care and research.
“Dr. and Mrs. Moore’s gift comes at a critical juncture—enabling us to advance beyond surgical repair to the discovery of transformational treatments and interventions and, ultimately, to true cures,” said Frank Hanley, MD, the Lawrence Crowley, MD, Professor in Child Health and executive director of the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center. Stephen Roth, MD, MPH, chief of pediatric cardiology and director of the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center, also extended his gratitude to the Moore family, noting their partnership enables an unprecedented opportunity for the Center to expand its state-of-the-art clinical and research facilities, train future leaders of cardiovascular medicine and surgery, and improve the fields of pediatric and adult cardiology and cardiovascular surgery through innovative research.
Stanford Dance Marathon Raises $110,000 for Bass Cancer Center
More than 1,000 students danced their way to a high-kicking $110,000 at the annual Stanford Dance Marathon. Over 24 hours on February 18–19, students, faculty, and staff dined and danced in honor of children affected by pediatric cancers. Event proceeds supported uncompensated care at the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases.
Dancers were inspired by cancer patients like 7-year-old Ellie from Redwood City, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 2 and spent 852 days bravely battling cancer. Today, thanks to donor-supported care received at Packard Children’s, Ellie is three years cancer-free.
Stanford Dance Marathon, founded in 2005, is the Bay Area’s largest student-run philanthropic event. On their Facebook page after the event, organizers mirrored the sentiments of so many of our patients: “Thanks to everyone who has given us unyielding support … this journey was long, but it is far from over. The strides we made the past few months are just the beginning!”
$10 Million Gift from Julia and David Koch Establishes Clinical Research Unit for Allergy and Asthma
A new clicnical research unit will be established thanks to Julia and David Koch’s visionary $10 million gift to Packard Children’s. The unit will operate within the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford, home to the groundbreaking allergy and asthma clinical trials led by Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD. Currently, Nadeau’s lab research is on the Stanford campus, while her clinical research is at a Packard Children’s licensed unit within El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. The Koch gift will enable Nadeau and her team to expand their clinical research to a redesigned unit at Packard Children’s in 2018.
Severe food allergies are a growing epidemic, with rates having doubled in the last decade. The Koch family has experienced firsthand the anxiety of living with food allergies, as well as the life-changing effects of a clinical trial to safely desensitize the allergies. “We made this gift with the goal of bringing better treatments to more children and adults suffering from dangerous allergies,” said Mrs. Koch. Nadeau notes this “investment will have a tremendous impact on the care and treatment we provide. Together, we will make a difference for all those who may benefit from research toward better, safe, and lasting therapies.”
Hearts of Harvest Supports Heart Families
In November, the Hearts of Harvest Foundation gave a generous $22,500 gift to support patients and families receiving care at ourChildren’s Heart Center. Hearts of Harvest’s mission is to provide financial assistance and support to local families and children who are in a health crisis, with priority given to children with heart conditions.
Its founder, Becki B. Brown, was inspired to give to our hospital because of her family’s experience receiving care in our Heart Center and neonatal intensive care unit more than 20 years ago. Since 2012, Hearts of Harvest Foundation has contributed a total of $82,500, which has enabled our hospital to provide critical services to more than 360 heart patients and their families. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Inaugural Shop for Packard Raises $50,000 for Packard Children’s
In March, more than 39 local retailers, restaurants, and fitness studios hosted in-store shopping days that benefited the Children’s Fund at our hospital. The shopping festivities kicked off with a party hosted by Shreve & Co. and LumillaMingus, and continued over several weeks, with participating retailers donating a portion of sales to Packard Children’s. In total, the inaugural event has raised over $50,000 to date. We are grateful to the wonderful community of retailers and shoppers that partnered with us to support Packard Children’s.
Ambassadors for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Raise More Than $164,000 at the 10th Annual Lunch and Learn
On March 14, the Ambassadors for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital celebrated 10 years of giving, learning, and volunteering together at their annual Lunch and Learn at Sharon Heights Country Club. Guests heard from Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, the widow of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, a Stanford neurosurgeon and author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, for which she wrote the epilogue. During a fireside chat
with NBC contributor Liza Meak, Dr. Kalanithi shared her experience caring for a terminally ill spouse and a newborn. Guests were also honored by fellow Ambassadors member Esther Levy, who shared her family’s experience with our hospital’s palliative care program.
The Ambassadors 2016–2017 Fund-A-Need supported our hospital’s Bereavement & Family Guidance and Palliative Care Programs. Through the generosity of members and guests at Lunch and Learn, the Fund-A-Need goal was met and surpassed. They have raised more than $275,000 this year, including $165,000 through Lunch and Learn, which will fund a bereavement therapist for two years; a palliative care physician specializing in pain management for two years; and one year of the Annual Day of Remembrance for families who have lost a child. These programs rely solely on philanthropy, and we are deeply grateful to the Ambassadors for their tireless work supporting our hospital and its patients and families.
Long-Time Partner Supports Dr. Greg Enns’ Research
HELP MITO KIDS is dedicated to spreading awareness about mitochondrial disease and helping families impacted by the lifethreatening disease. Mitochondria are energy factories found in every cell of the human body. In mitochondrial disease, which primarily affects children, cells lose their ability to produce energy and sustain growth, and entire organs can be damaged or shut down.
Currently, there is no cure for this disease. Since 2011, Help Mito Kids has donated more than $60,000 to support Dr. Greg Enns’ research to identify new ways to diagnose and treat mitochondrial disorders,including the development of a panel of sensitive blood biomarkers so that patients with primary or secondary mitochondrial dysfunction can be monitored non-invasively. Thank you, Help Mito Kids, for making these advances possible!
“There’s No Such Thing as Too Much!”
Eight-year-old Maisy has a zest for fashion and philanthropy that has resulted in an amazing venture supporting kids with cancer. Maisy began by making hats out of paper for kids who had lost their hair from chemotherapy treatments. “But then I thought headbands were more fun,” she says, so she moved to making headbands with colored puffs and even some bling. Flash forward a year and a half, Maisy Puffs have raised an amazing $4,000 for childhood cancer research! In addition to providing cute headbands for kids with cancer, Maisy Puffs also provide our patients and families something even more important—symbols of hope. Thank you, Maisy!
Become a Champion like Maisy at championsLPCH.org.
Happy Year of the Rooster!
Thank you to C.M. Capital Foundation for bringing its annual Chinese New Year celebration to our hospital for the fourth year in a row. Our patients and families were treated to calligraphy demonstrations, craft projects, and delicious food. Lion dancers were the highlight of the celebration, delighting everyone who gathered to ring in the Year of the Rooster.
Since 2014, C.M. Capital Foundation has committed $150,000 to our hospital, and is returning again as a Spotlight Sponsor for the 7th annual Summer Scamper. We could not be more grateful for their partnership. Xiè xie!
The Dinner Raises Awareness and Support for Mental Health
ON MAY 5, we kicked off the first of many celebrations in our new hospital expansion at our biennial gala, The Dinner. Held in the gardens and lobby of the new hospital building, the sold-out dinner and live auction featured Rob Lowe and Jerry Seinfeld, and raised over $3.2 million for the child and adolescent mental health programs at Packard Children’s and Stanford School of Medicine. Special thanks to co-chairs Gioia Arrillaga, Susan Ford Dorsey, Elizabeth Dunlevie, and Stacey Siebel, and the event’s steering and honorary committees, for their tireless work on this signature event. On behalf of the children and families that will benefit from the event proceeds, thank you to everyone who made The Dinner a success!
This article first appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Lucile Packard Children's News.