Fiscal year 2016

Mother with Son Donors gave and pledged more than $134 million to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the 2016 fiscal year. Those contributions will allow the physicians, scientists and other caregivers at Children’s Hospital to do everything possible for families facing pediatric illness or injury. The Hospital gratefully acknowledges the donors of the particularly generous gifts below, which represent the largest single commitments of this past fiscal year.

Top gifts

$25,000,000 — The Roberts Family

The Roberts collaborative for Genetics and Individualized Medicine will fund research in genetic medicine and the use of genetic diagnostics and treatment plans personalized to each patient based on the specifics of their condition and their DNA. The Roberts Collaborative is nationally significant given its multidisciplinary approach toward diagnostics, clinical management, consulting, therapeutics and research driven by the power of genetics. As part of CHOP’s $50 million effort to advance genetic medicine, the Roberts’ $25 million gift will facilitate the integration of all clinical departments, divisions and centers for the care of pediatric patients, as well as advance a relentless pursuit of breakthrough cures for childhood disease. In recognition of their generosity, the Roberts family will also be honored on the Hospital’s new Schuylkill Avenue Campus, where the first new research building will be known as the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research.

$7,000,000 — Christiane Basselier

Melissa Ketunuti, MD, was a beloved pediatrician and colleague at Children’s Hospital with a personal devotion to advocating for better healthcare for children in less-developed countries abroad, particularly in Africa. Following Dr. Ketunuti’s untimely death in 2013, her mother created at Children’s Hospital the Melissa Ketunuti Basselier, MD Endowed Fund for Pediatric Health in Africa. In fiscal year 2016, Ms. Basselier pledged to leave the Ketunuti Basselier Fund $7 million in her estate, ensuring that the Hospital’s Global Health Center has abundant resources for its work in Africa in perpetuity.

$5,000,000 — The Wawa Foundation

Wawa and its charitable foundation named the Hospital’s volunteer program in fiscal year 2016 with a generous contribution that will help to build a new office for the program in the new Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care and create an endowment to provide steady, reliable funding for Wawa Volunteer Services at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for years to come. Wawa has been deeply involved with the Hospital’s volunteer program for decades, making this investment and naming especially meaningful. Patients, families and staff are likely most familiar with the Wawa Coffee & Care Cart, which has brought a welcome touch of hospitality to inpatient families for years.

$2,250,000 — Ann and Richard Frankel

In 2009, the Frankels devoted over $1 million in their estate plan to support inflammatory bowel disease research. They have demonstrated leadership as members of the Board of Visitors for the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and in other volunteer roles at CHOP including co-chairing the Auto Dealers Association Black Tie Tailgate for two years for the benefit of the GI Division. This past fiscal year they established the Ann and Richard Frankel Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology Research through an additional major philanthropic bequest and cash donation.

$2,000,000 — The Biesecker Foundation

More than 15 years ago, the Biesecker Foundation created the Fred and Suzanne Biesecker Pediatric Liver Center at Children’s Hospital, establishing a world-class center for care and research that could not have existed without their generous philanthropic investment. Today, the Biesecker Liver Center regularly makes important scientific discoveries and advancements in care, and in fiscal year 2016, the Biesecker Foundation made its latest commitment to ensure the exceptional work continues.

$1,850,000 — The Craig-Dalsimer Fund

Since 1998, the Craig-Dalsimer Fund has been providing reliable support for the Craig-Dalsimer Division of Adolescent Medicine, which partners with young people and their families to help them reach their best levels of physical, social and emotional health. In the past fiscal year, the fund dissolved itself in order to provide the Hospital with its entire portfolio as a way to endow the Craig-Dalsimer Division and guarantee in perpetuity the same kind of steady, vital funding the fund has been providing.

$1,307,906 — Martha and Peter Morse

Returning to a philanthropic priority of theirs, Martha and Peter Morse funded two projects in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine: one that will create new methods of testing lung function in young children and one that will support asthma clinical quality improvement throughout Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

$1,200,000 — Psalm 103 Foundation

In memory of John M. Templeton, Jr., MD, a Children’s Hospital surgeon who established the trauma program at the Hospital, Psalm 103 Foundation donated $1.2 million to create the Templeton Endowed Fund for the Trauma Center. In addition, Josephine Templeton, MD, also a former CHOP doctor and Jack’s widow, honored her husband’s memory and supported the trauma program with a personal donation of more than $100,000.

$1,000,000 — Jaclyn Altman and Maxwell Altman

Together with her son Max, Jaclyn Altman created the Daniel and Douglas Altman Endowed Fund for Art Therapy to honor the memories of her husband and son, who died in a plane crash. The fund will support the therapeutic use of art to provide physical, emotional, spiritual and social wellness in patients and families.

$1,000,000 — Mortimer “Tim” Buckley and Elizabeth A. Norris

The chairman of CHOP’s Board of Trustees, Tim Buckley, and his wife, Elizabeth Norris, created the Mortimer J. Buckley, Jr., MD, Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery to honor his father, a pioneer in the field. Thomas L. Spray, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, will be the first to hold the chair.

$1,000,000 — Amy and William Green

After naming an oncology private infusion room in the Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care several years ago, William Green increased his involvement with CHOP in fiscal year 2016, joining the Foundation Board of Overseers. He and his wife also created the William and Amy Green Endowed Fund this year.

$1,000,000 — Hyundai Hope on Wheels

Hyundai Hope on Wheels, a nonprofit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer, continued to support Children’s Hospital this year. CHOP was awarded the Hyundai Quantum Grant, a $1 million grant issued to institutions committed to transformational research on pediatric cancers with the lowest survival rates. CHOP was one of only four institutions to receive this prestigious grant.

$1,000,000 — Barbara and Lawrence Magid

Larry and Barbara “Mickey” Magid designated the Hospital as a beneficiary of their estate to create the Larry and Mickey Magid Endowed Fund for Music Therapy. A Philadelphia native, Mr. Magid opened the Electric Factory, and in the course of a storied career, he has produced or promoted more than 16,000 concerts and Broadway performances.

With philanthropy, we ...

  • Treated more than 88,000 patients and dedicated 1,949 supporter inscriptions in the new Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care on the Raymond G. Perelman Campus
  • Endowed a fund to support young scientists investigating type 1 and type 2 pediatric diabetes
  • Provided meal, transportation and lodging assistance to families in need with children in treatment at CHOP
  • Funded study and educational opportunities for faculty and staff researching epidemiology in the Division of Infectious Diseases
  • Supported the creation of a comprehensive neuroscience biorepository to fuel discovery in the race for new treatments and cures
  • Funded important research into twin-twin transfusion syndrome and pediatric brain tumors
  • Supported investigators researching neuroblastoma, a cancerous tumor most often found in infants
  • Funded a special line of research into Alexander disease, a rare, inherited disorder, in CHOP’s Leukodystrophy Center
  • Elevated the Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease to prestigious Frontier Program status based on its unique combination of novel translational research and exceptional clinical care
  • Created a new fund to support professional development for clinical nurses at CHOP
  • Expanded CHOP’s Integrative Health Program offering auxiliary therapies to patients, including nutrition counseling, acupuncture and therapeutic massage
  • Funded a new full-time art therapist in our Child Life, Education and Creative Arts Therapy Department