September 6, 2007
Contact: Erin Shields at (773) 880-4348 or at
eshields@childrensmemorial.org
Ann Lurie Announces $100 Million Gift for New Children’s Memorial Hospital
Philanthropist Ann Lurie has pledged $100 million to Children’s Memorial Hospital to help establish a new, world-class medical center devoted exclusively to the care of children.
The $100 million gift, the largest charitable investment received in the hospital’s 125-year history, will be used to help create the new hospital in Chicago’s Streeterville community and to enhance its pediatric research initiatives.
“This gift will transform Children’s Memorial Hospital and the care that we are able to provide to children and families,” said Patrick M. Magoon, president and CEO of Children’s Memorial Medical Center. “This landmark investment in children’s health will enable our community to better provide every child with the opportunity to reach his or her full potential.”
Ann Lurie resides in Chicago where she is president of Lurie Investments, president and treasurer of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation and president of Africa Infectious Disease Village Clinics, Inc. Following the death of her husband, Robert H. Lurie, in 1990, Lurie devoted herself to raising their six children and distinguishing herself as a committed benefactor to many causes in health care, education, social services, and the arts.
Lurie, who was once a critical care nurse at Children’s Memorial, said that her experiences as both an employee and a parent of six children—several of whom were treated at Children’s Memorial—influenced her to make this gift. “I hope that this gift will both provide critical funding for the new hospital and serve as an inspiration for others to make a commitment and give as they are able,” she said. “Our future depends on our children and the generations of children after them. I feel that we have an obligation to be supportive of advances in pediatric medical care that will ensure the health of those children.”
When the new hospital opens in Chicago’s Streeterville community in 2012, it will be named Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in honor of Ann Lurie and in recognition of this gift that will truly make a difference in the lives of critically ill children of Chicago, the Midwest, and beyond.
“Medicine is evolving so rapidly. To capture some of the value of new innovations and technology, Children’s Memorial requires an updated clinical facility with space for upgraded equipment and services,” said Lurie.
