Anderson Stewart Family Foundation Donates
$50 Million to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Extraordinary gift to help
hospital meet the pediatric healthcare needs of ever-growing
patient population
LOS ANGELES
(July 31, 2019) — On Wednesday, Children's
Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
announced that the Anderson Stewart Family Foundation has made a
$50 million gift to the institution, a visionary investment from
the family of Marion and John E. Anderson to further the
hospital’s mission to provide a safety net for the most
critically ill and advance its commitment to world-class,
family-centered pediatric care.
“As philanthropists, the Anderson family is steadfastly devoted
to improving the lives of others. Their years of support and
leadership helped Children’s Hospital Los Angeles save hundreds
of thousands of lives,” says CHLA President and CEO Paul S.
Viviano. “Today, we are honored and humbled to receive this new
gift that will continue their legacy of creating a better future
for the children of this world.”
In
2011, the Anderson family gifted CHLA with $50 million to
complete construction of a new state-of-the-art hospital
building, which was named the Marion and John E. Anderson
Pavilion in recognition of the contribution. In the years since,
CHLA’s total patient visits have risen from 393,000 a year to
nearly 568,000, which includes nearly 100,000 visits to an
emergency department originally constructed to handle 65,000.
The Anderson family’s latest donation will support the hospital
in its efforts to ensure that all CHLA patients have access to
the critical, lifesaving care they need; and that CHLA doctors,
researchers, nurses and other caregivers are equipped with the
appropriate resources to provide that care.
“[Marion] often said it was she who should be thanking
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, that her life was transformed
for the better as a result of her years of involvement at CHLA,”
says the Andersons’ daughter Judy Munzig, chair of the Anderson
Stewart Family Foundation. “She loved meeting the children at
the hospital and always believed the patients and families
deserved the spotlight for their courage and resilience.”
Including the gift announced today, the Anderson family has
given more than $100 million in total to CHLA over three
decades—in addition to tireless fundraising and strategic
guidance—and is now the greatest single benefactor in the
history of the hospital.
Marion served as a CHLA Board Trustee from 1989 until her
passing in 2017—including co-chairing the Board from 1999 to
2012, leading the hospital during its most successful
fundraising campaign to date and several landmark clinical
recognitions. Yet she routinely deflected attention from
herself, instead pointing to the work done by doctors, nurses
and other CHLA staff, often during walking tours of the hospital
that she enjoyed giving friends and fellow donors.
“The entire Anderson family has always demonstrated true
generosity of spirit by sharing ideas, inspiring others and
leading by example, and for that reason we are so grateful for
this gift,” says Jeffrey Worthe, Chair of the CHLA Board of
Directors. “It vividly reflects the same heart and devotion for
children that guided Marion and John as they supported our
hospital over the years, and it allows Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles to continue exemplifying that conviction of purpose for
years to come.”
About
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Children’s
Hospital Los Angeles is dedicated to creating hope and building
healthier futures for children. Founded in 1901, CHLA is one of
the nation’s leading academic pediatric medical centers and is
acknowledged worldwide for its leadership in pediatric and
adolescent health. The hospital relies on the generosity of the
community to support its groundbreaking pediatric research and
the complex care it provides for critically ill and injured
children.