MISSION VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Judi and Bill Leonard, longstanding members of the Mission Hospital family, have made a transformational legacy gift to name the hospital’s new Cancer Institute. Their eight-figure gift will significantly advance cancer care for the nearly two million people who live in south Orange County. The new 104,000-square-foot building, to be dedicated the Judi and Bill Leonard Institute for Cancer Prevention, Treatment and Wellness at Mission Hospital, is currently under construction and will open in 2019.
The Leonard family’s first gift to Mission Hospital was in May 1999; through a direct mail solicitation they donated $100 to support cancer programs and services. Over the past 15 years, Judi and Bill, and the Leonard Family Foundation, have made 24 individual gifts, generously supporting multiple events and campaigns.
“We are humbled and blessed by the engagement of the Leonard family and the enduring impact they will have on the health and well-being of our community,” says Tarek Salaway, Chief Executive of Mission Hospital. “Their generosity will enable Mission Hospital to revolutionize cancer care to south Orange County and provide a comprehensive level of care that was previously unavailable in our community.”
Bill served on the Foundation Board of Directors from 2006 to 2014, and his daughter, Debbie Perez, has served on the board since 2015. The Leonards instilled the value of philanthropy from a young age in their children, Chris and Debbie, and they continue to live those precious values.
“Judi and Bill Leonard are perfect examples of philanthropy at its best,” shares Gwen Anderson, Executive Director for Mission Hospital Foundation. “Philanthropy is such a core part of who they are that any time they see a community or individual need, they embrace that need and make it happen. They give from their hearts.”
“The Leonards often give anonymously, without any fanfare and have asked Mission Hospital to hold the amount of their gift in confidence,” says Anderson. “It is the largest single gift in the history of Mission Hospital.”
“We are so fortunate to have the community come together, as exemplified by the Leonard family, with a passionate desire to advance high-quality world-class cancer services at Mission Hospital serving our Orange County community,” shares Margarita Solazzo, Chair, Mission Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.
To learn more about the Leonard Cancer Institute, please visit www.mission4health.com/givetocancer.
About Mission Hospital Foundation
Mission Hospital Foundation is the philanthropic catalyst for Mission Hospital. The foundation embodies the Spirit of Giving™ by building lifelong relationships with community members and raising funds for Mission Hospital. Every dollar donated to Mission Hospital Foundation supports ongoing investment in:
• Advanced technology and cutting-edge programs and services
• Innovative research initiatives and collaboration
• Nursing excellence through enhanced recruitment and ongoing training and development
• Community benefit programs that nurture and support the underserved
As new technologies emerge, philanthropy will enable Mission Hospital to acquire and provide the most sophisticated resources to enhance the comprehensive integration of care at every level, yielding superior patient outcomes.
About Mission Hospital
Mission Hospital is a state-of-the-art, 523-bed acute care regional medical center in Mission Viejo, California. As one of the busiest designated adult and pediatric Level II Trauma Centers in the state of California, Mission Hospital provides a full range of reputable specialty health care services with highly skilled teams treating a multitude of complex conditions. Services include a full range of expertise in cardiovascular, neuroscience and spine, orthopedics, cancer care, women’s services, mental health and wellness, and a variety of other specialty services. Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach provides south Orange County coastal communities with 24-hour emergency and intensive care as well as medical-surgical/telemetry services, orthopedics, general and GI surgery. CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital is a 54-bed facility that is the area’s only dedicated pediatric hospital.
Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence, Mission Hospital is highly recognized for its high quality of care, evidenced through various health care quality benchmarks. Mission Hospital is part of St. Joseph Health, a not-for-profit provider of integrated health care. Together, we work to improve the quality of life in the communities it serves in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. For more information, visit www.mission4health.com.
