Oregonians Benefit From Providence Philanthropists

It was a year in the record books for Providence Foundations of Oregon in 2017. They raised more than $50 million - and received the single largest gift ever - marking the most successful fundraising year in the 35 year history of the Providence Foundations in Oregon. These funds are a vital resource for groundbreaking research and dozens of specialty programs throughout the region, many of which would not exist without donor support.

Providence Foundations of Oregon also manages a $366 million investment portfolio, which provided an additional $42 million in 2017. These funds are put back into programs, services and research Providence provides to communities across the state.

“Philanthropy plays a major role in Providence’s quest to offer excellent, compassionate, state-of-the-art care in every community we serve,” said Dave Underriner, chief executive for Providence in Oregon. “Without the generosity of our donors, we could not operate at the level we do today.”

Most notably, in October 2017 Providence Foundations of Oregon honored the single largest donor in Providence’s 162 years in Oregon with the naming of the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center. Franz passed away in 2016 after a lifetime of service to the community. During his nearly 30 years as a philanthropic visionary leader at Providence and through his estate, he gave $40 million to Providence Portland Medical Center – specifically the Providence Cancer Institute led by Dr. Walter Urba. Philanthropy supports more than 70 percent of research at Providence Cancer Institute, and Franz’s remarkable gifts are supporting some of the world’s foremost research work in cancer immunotherapy.

Other highlights from Providence Foundations of Oregon in 2017 include:

• Tim and Mary Boyle gave $2 million to launch a new heart research center at Providence Heart Institute. This generous gift — part of the ongoing campaign that began in 2014 with a $25 million gift from Phil and Penny Knight — will help establish the Center for Cardiovascular Analytics Research and Data Science (CARDS), one of the few fully dedicated cardiac outcomes research centers in the country. This new center will build on Providence Heart Institute's global reputation as a leader in analyzing cardiac data to drive improved clinical care.
• The Play Smart Youth Heart Screenings Program screened its 20,000th patient in November. This remarkable program, founded in 2012, is funded entirely by donors and provides free screenings to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest in young people.
• Runners and walker in the Hood to Coast Relay raised $730,000 to support Providence Cancer Institute in 2017, far surpassing the previous amount of $600,000 in 2016.
• Throughout the month of May, customers at Safeway and Albertsons stores across the state had the opportunity to donate at checkout to Providence Cancer Institute. This resulted in $400,000 raised — a record high. Safeway also became the presenting sponsor for Providence’s three Festival of Trees events in Portland, Seaside, and Medford.
• Greenbrier Companies, Inc. pledged $400,000 to support Play Smart and other programs at Providence Heart Institute. This was the largest charitable gift in Greenbrier’s history.
• The annual giving campaign to encourage all Providence employees to support their local foundation resulted in a new record high of $444,000 raised in 2017. This included a matching gift of $50,000 from Providence Federal Credit Union for the Helping Hand Fund, which supports fellow Providence caregivers experiencing a crisis, emergency or unexpected hardship.
• Basecamp Cardiac Prevention + Wellness Center opened in February and was funded in large part by generous donors. This innovative center provides patients with support in their journey toward heart health and wellness — offering yoga, tai chi, mindfulness, nutrition, cardiac rehabilitation, heart fitness and screening, and much more.
• Several events in the Portland area raised record amounts, including the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees, supporting children’s health ($1.4 million); Heart of Gold, supporting the Center for Medically Fragile Children ($630,000); and Creating Hope for cancer patients and research, ($778,000).
• Events across the state included the Safeway Providence Festival of Trees in Medford, supporting the Community Health Foundation-Medford ($580,000); Safeway Providence Festival of Trees in Seaside, supporting innovation ($196,000); Partners in Health, supporting the community teaching kitchen at Providence Milwaukie Hospital ($124,000); Newberg Hearts of Gold, supporting the Mike Olberding Education Fund ($120,000); Gala at the Falls, supporting cardiac rehabilitation services at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center ($116,000); and Hood River Hearts of Gold, supporting the good works of the Hood River Memorial Hospital Foundation ($45,000).
• Carr Auto Group and Subaru of America presented Providence Children's Health Foundation with a check for $96,939 in April— all of which was raised during the Carr Subaru in Beaverton “Share the Love” campaign. The gift went to Bill’s Kids Fund, an endowed fund benefiting the Center for Medically Fragile Children, named in honor of Portland Trail Blazers broadcasting legend Bill Schonely.
• Lucille and Gerard McAleese, owners of Kells Restaurant & Pub and longtime supporters of Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children, established the “Kells for Kids” endowment fund in 2017. Since 1993, the McAleese family and Kells patrons have given nearly $250,000 to support the skilled nursing care, specialized therapy, equipment and activities for the center’s vulnerable patients.
• Dr. Seth Oliveria joined the Providence Brain and Spine Institute team as a functional neurosurgeon, a new position made possible by donor support.
• Programs and services philanthropy made possible in 2017: State-of the-art 3D mammography at Providence Seaside Medical Center; Wrangler, a facility dog to ease children’s way in medical situations at Providence St. Vincent; free dental clinics at Providence Milwaukie Hospital and the Providence Child Center; funds for training nurses and technicians throughout Oregon; expanded space for researchers at the Providence Cancer Institute; funds for specialty programs serving children with special needs in Providence’s Children’s Services; research for orthopedic excellence; and an expanded program for deep brain stimulation in Providence’s Brain & Spine Institute.