Our donor community continues to surprise and inspire us by the many ways they support Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Your dedication helps us transform health care for all kids and moms. We are endlessly grateful!
Gratitude for the Weisgerber Foundation
For over 20 years, the William E. and Aenid R. Weisgerber Foundation has supported diabetes research at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Their visionary support—totaling $2 million—has unlocked countless strides in the care and management of type 1 diabetes (T1D). We are grateful that the Weisgerber Foundation is now funding a study by Dessi Zaharieva, PhD—one of the few exercise scientists in the world dedicated to T1D.
Zaharieva grew up as a competitive athlete with T1D, which inspired her to give back to the next generation. Many kids living with T1D are less physically active than their peers without diabetes because they—and their parents—fear the dangers that come with exercise, including an increased risk of low blood sugar. Yet the health benefits far outweigh the risks.
Zaharieva’s program is the first longitudinal study assessing exercise education and activity monitoring for children newly diagnosed with T1D.
Thanks to the Weisgerber Foundation’s generosity, Zaharieva will empower even more kids with T1D to enjoy the outdoors and play the sports they love.
Negotiating Fair Contracts on Behalf of Children’s Health
Attorney William L. “Bill” McClure has deep roots in our community. Born at Stanford, he grew up attending Stanford football games—his father, aunt, sister, and daughter are alumni—and has practiced law in Menlo Park since 1978. Bill and his wife also know, firsthand, the benefits of a “fabulous children’s hospital program,” having spent time in the Stanford neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with their second-born child.
We are grateful he’s in our corner! As a real estate attorney, Bill is an essential partner to the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health’s Gift Planning team and has unlocked over $12 million for our mission. He recently facilitated the sale of two complex properties left to us via bequest: one containing several registered historic residences in Stanford and the other a commercial property in Los Altos. Both sales required that Bill set a strategy and marketing plan; negotiate contracts to maximize the value of each property; and, in one case, find a creative, hardworking agent partner.
Bill believes in finding fair deals and reaching a win-win solution for both parties—while reminding buyers that they’re ultimately benefiting the kids and families at Packard Children’s. Thank you, Bill, for your tireless partnership and advocacy.
$1M Gift Makes Cancer Clinical Trials More Accessible
While most children with cancer can be cured, there’s still considerable progress to be made. Clinical trials are the only vehicle to test and prove safer, more effective treatments for pediatric cancers.
That’s why Stanford leads the Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigators’ Consortium (POETIC), which unites institutions across the country to partner on new trials.
“Our goal is to ensure that all kids can access the most innovative treatments, not just those living near top medical centers,” says Norman Lacayo, MD.
After Dan and Diana Riccio’s daughter was successfully treated for leukemia, Dan asked Lacayo how he could give back. Over two decades, their generosity has advanced cancer care and research, culminating in their most recent gift of $1 million to POETIC in December 2023.
“This gift is our lifeline,” Lacayo says. “It’s enabling us to open trials and serve more kids.”
“Eradicating childhood cancer is a cause we are committed to helping solve,” say Dan and Diana. “POETIC is a wonderful initiative that we’re honored to support in any way we can.”
Thank you, Dan and Diana, for helping even more kids living with cancer.
Andrew Levy’s Love of Music Lives on Thanks to His Grandparents
Andrew Levy Music Therapy Endowment.
Jackie and Roger Levy hope no family ever has to know the loss of a beloved child and grandchild. They lost their 3-year-old grandson, Andrew, who was treated at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford but unfortunately passed away from leukemia in 2016. Over the years, Jackie and Roger have given philanthropically to Packard Children’s in Andrew’s memory.
Most recently, the Levys decided to make a more lasting commitment by creating a charitable gift annuity (CGA) to support the Andrew Levy Music Therapy Endowment. Thanks to the founding gift from Andrew’s parents, Esther and Dan Levy, along with gifts from members of the Levy family and many others, the endowment has a current value of over $2.4 million and ensures that the music therapy program at Packard Children’s will provide comfort to children in perpetuity.
“Seeing a child in the hospital with cancer is unfathomable,” says Jackie, a retired schoolteacher and principal. “We just hope that our gift will provide some comfort and a little bit of diversion for what they have to endure. There’s boredom and a lot of pain connected with cancer treatment. Music therapy is just a wonderful thing.”
Andrew spent three months in isolation with his mom while undergoing chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant from his older brother, Wills. Andrew always loved music, so Esther played him songs on her iPad and helped him play small drums and ukuleles.
“They would sing and dance, to the degree he could dance in his little crib,” Jackie says. “Music really helped brighten his life and make the days less painful.”
So, it was an easy decision for Jackie and Roger to support and help grow the music therapy program with their CGA. Our hospital launched the music therapy program in 2017 with Esther and Dan’s founding gift. Today the program is flourishing with four music therapists who support patients during procedures, foster opportunities for self-expression, and help patients and families cope with hospitalization. Along with the music therapy program’s growth, demand from the kids and doctors continues to climb.
Jackie and Roger were pleasantly surprised to learn how effortless it was to set up the CGA as well.
“The process was very well thought out and very complete,” says Roger. “Everybody we dealt with was very responsive. It could not have been any easier.”
Now Jackie and Roger know that they will receive a fixed income stream for the rest of their lives, and the balance will support the Music Therapy Endowment. “It just warms our heart to know that the money is being used for music therapy, and that it’s helping patients and families,” Jackie says.
We are grateful to the Levys for bringing the joy of music to other families.
Volunteering for 20 Years
When Carolyn Friel retired in 2004, she looked for a volunteering role that would benefit others. She’d taught elementary school before moving to California and then working in the corporate world for 35 years. As soon as she learned about the Hospital School at Packard Children’s, she wanted to get involved. “It felt full circle,” she says.
This year, Carolyn is celebrating a remarkable 20 years as a volunteer, offering classroom and bedside lessons to elementary school-age children. “No matter what else is going on, the patients and parents have such strength, fortitude, and positivity,” she said. “I learn from them every time I visit.”
Carolyn and her husband, Tom, are also generous donors. In 2019, they helped revamp the Hospital School’s classrooms. Carolyn then learned about the Sophie’s Place Broadcast Studio. Through Sophie’s Place, patients can host their own on-air shows, learn to edit videos, listen to stories, and play interactive trivia. Sophie’s Place helps kids feel like kids while hospitalized, but the studio equipment hadn’t been updated since the studio was founded in 2017; staff made do with cameras designed for pet security.
“With her gift, we will be able to update our equipment to provide better and higher quality programming,” says Amy Huffaker, MA, the studio coordinator. “What an honor to be given this opportunity to step up our ability and efforts to help our kids feel a sense of connection, wonder, entertainment, and community through our programs.”
“Our programs are educational and as much fun as possible,” says Carolyn. “I am truly grateful to volunteer alongside the amazing teachers in the school, and to be part of this exceptional hospital with such inspiring programs and talented people.”
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Packard Children’s News.
