Newswise — SEATTLE – Oct. 31, 2011 – Seattle Children’s today announced two transformative philanthropic gifts totaling $65 million to benefit pediatric research, nursing education and clinical care. An anonymous donor pledged approximately $50 million of their estate – the largest single gift in Children’s 104 year history – to benefit pediatric research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. In addition, Mrs. Jean Reid of Bellevue, Wash., made gift commitments valuing approximately $15 million to support Children’s Bellevue Urgent Care Clinic, the advanced training of nurses, and the greatest needs of Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center. In recognition of Mrs. Reid’s extraordinary commitment, the Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center will be named the “Robert and Jean Reid Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center” in honor of her and her late husband.
“We are ecstatic,” said Jim Ladd, chair of Seattle Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees. “Children’s has always relied on the community to sustain its mission of caring for all children and finding cures and better treatments. These gifts help ensure Children’s can continue this critical work.”
$50 Million Anonymous Gift Will Fuel New Discoveries at Seattle Children’s Research InstituteSupport from charitable donors has helped the Seattle Children’s Research Institute catapult to one of the top five pediatric research institutions in the nation. Since its inception, Seattle Children’s Research Institute has made significant progress in research that is advancing science and enhancing pediatric medical care. The next steps for the Research Institute are to uncover new treatment options, discover new cures, and save more lives.
Thanks to an anonymous donor, Seattle Children’s Research Institute will be able to make an even greater investment in its most promising initiatives through a $50 million estate gift that will endow the research enterprise. The endowment will benefit the greatest needs fund, which enables the Research Institute to provide critical infrastructure, recruit and retain the best and brightest scientists, and invest in early stage medical treatments for childhood disease. This new gift will help Children’s push the frontier of pediatric medicine.
$15 Million Commitment Supports Nursing and Eastside Pediatric Clinical CareEarlier this year, Mrs. Reid pledged $1 million for the staffing needs of the Urgent Care Clinic at Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center. She most recently made an additional estate pledge valuing approximately $14 million to endow the greatest needs of Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center and to support the continuing education of the hospital’s nurses. Of Mrs. Reid’s estate pledge, 25 percent will support nurses’ advanced training needs while 75 percent will fund clinical care priorities of Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center.
Robert and Jean Reid have been very committed to nursing education throughout the years, having supported scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Washington School of Nursing. They also donated to the University of Washington School of Nursing to establish the school's first endowed deanship: the Robert G. and Jean A. Reid Endowed Deanship in Nursing.
Robert Reid, who passed away in January 2011, was a leader in the construction industry on the Eastside and was active in forming the City of Bellevue. The Reids were thrilled to learn about last year’s opening of Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center, and its ability to provide Eastside families with easier access to pediatric speciality care. When Mrs. Reid toured the facility, she expressed great admiration for its child- and family-focused design, its efficient and effective healthcare delivery, and how the center’s construction incorporated several sustainable principles.
“It is most fitting to name Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center in honor of Robert and Jean Reid. Aside from being pillars of the City of Bellevue, they have demonstrated through their extraordinary philanthropy how deeply committed they are to the health and well being of local families,” said Ladd. “We are also extremely grateful to Mrs. Reid for her support of Children’s nursing program. Children’s nurses are courageous and highly skilled at what they do, performing miracles every day. This gift will give them additional tools to do what they do best – provide the finest care possible to critically-ill children.”
Children’s Foundation Celebrates 30 Years of FundraisingThese major gifts were first unveiled over the weekend at a Children’s “Celebration of Hope” gathering which took place at the Fairmont Hotel. The event, which was attended by 300 friends of Children’s, also marked the 30th anniversary of hospital’s fundraising division – the Foundation.
“Since its formation in 1982, Children’s Foundation has received over $1 billion in gifts and future commitments. This represents all contributions both big and small,” said Candy Marshall, vice chair of Seattle Children’s Foundation Board of Trustees who emceed the Celebration of Hope event. “Our community has been exceedingly generous to Children’s over the years. We are so incredibly grateful for this unwavering support.”
About Seattle Children’sSeattle Children's delivers superior patient care, advances new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical referral center for the largest landmass of any children’s hospital in the country (Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho). Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children’s is comprised of Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation. We are internationally recognized for advancing discoveries in cancer, genetics, immunology, pathology, infectious disease, injury prevention and bioethics. Children’s also serves as the primary clinical, research and teaching site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. For more information visit http://www.seattlechildrens.org.
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