Milestones and Transitions
Dear Friends,
 |
s you will read in this report, the Foundation reached two major milestones in 2005. |
We completed the Campaign for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, surpassing our original five-year goal by raising $526 million for the Hospital and the pediatric programs of the Stanford School of Medicine.
We also marked our fifth year of community grantmaking, during which time we awarded 294 grants totaling a cumulative $26 million to partner agencies that serve local children.
The dollar amounts are impressive, but more significant is what those funds have made possible.
The $526 million represents gifts from more than 11,000 individual donors, whose generosity facilitated the transformation of Packard Children's Hospital into a world-class pediatric medical center, recognized nationally as one of the Top 10 in the U.S. and the best on the West Coast. Thanks to Campaign gifts, the Hospital and School of Medicine recruited 44 top physicians and researchers, and established six Centers of Excellence in cancer, heart disease, obstetrics, brain and behavior, pulmonary disease, and transplantation. The Hospital has opened a major center for outpatient care, a heart clinic, and the first-ever local emergency services specifically for children. Construction is under way on new surgical suites and a children's cancer center.
To keep children's health in the public eye, kidsdata.org reports and tracks data, and provides lists of useful resources for families and those who work with children.
Our $26 million investment in the community has supported organizations that assist children in two areas: providing support for parents to reduce the risk of neglect or abuse of young children; and helping preteens develop the skills they need to make positive choices and avoid risky behaviors that can jeopardize their futures. An independent survey of our grantmaking program conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy in 2005 yielded highly positive reports from our community partners.
In 2005, the Foundation also continued to build its public Information and education program. To bring attention to key children's health issues, we commissioned surveys and original research, promoted media coverage of children's issues, and expanded our child health websites, which were honored with a Webby Award nomination and a gold medal from the Council on Foundations.
The Foundation also experienced a major change in leadership, as seven new directors were elected to the Board in 2005, and we bade a grateful farewell to a number of long-serving members who helped shape the Foundation when it was little more than a dream.
As I write this letter in 2006, the Foundation is engaged in another transition. Stephen Peeps, CEO and president for the past nine years, has left the Foundation, and a search is under way for his replacement. Stephen took the helm in the Foundation's earliest days and expertly guided its development.
Our board, staff, donors, and community partners will build on the work of these pioneers as we carry forward our mission to promote, protect, and sustain the health and well being of children. We appreciate your interest in the work of the Foundation.
Sincerely,
George Pavlov
Chairman, Board of Directors