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Ways to HelpVolunteer Volunteer Boards
Lurie Children’s has 11 established volunteer organizations that fundraise on behalf of the hospital. Each group has a unique mission that directly impacts specific areas or programs within Lurie Children’s.
The Founders' Board of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago was established in 1882 as the Board of Lady Managers. For 136 years, the Board has supported the hospital through its members’ active engagement and philanthropy, stewardship and fundraising, advocacy, hospital governance and volunteerism.
The Board is Lurie Children’s most enduring philanthropic partner, and in the last decade alone the Founders’ Board has raised critical funds totaling more than $25 million for a number of endowed chairs for Lurie Children's staff and faculty. Most recently, the Board completed a two-year, $4.5 fundraising commitment, which benefited the Division of Pediatric Surgery and the Division of Academic General Pediatrics.
Members of the Board hold positions on a variety of committees within the hospital’s Medical Center Board and Lurie Children’s Foundation Board. They also work closely with the hospital's Government and Community Relations team to help advance policy initiatives and actively communicate the hospital's position on children's healthcare issues.
Founders’ Board members raise funds through annual fundraising events, including the Pro Amateur Golf Championship, Dinner on the Bluff and Winter Wishes, as well as through direct mail appeals and outreach and retail activities. Founders’ Board members also volunteer their time and talents to provide support to our patients and their families.
The Board’s current fundraising focus is a three-year, $7.5 million pledge entitled “New Frontiers and Pediatric Medicine and Research.” This commitment will provide support to three key areas: transformational research, community-based healthcare delivery and the funding of an endowed chair in Medical Ethics.
The Children’s Research Fund (CRF) was established in 1951 for the sole purpose of raising funds to advance medical research. In 1991, the organization began its affiliation with Lurie Children’s. Since then, the CRF has been a principal benefactor of the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s, raising more than $70 million to advance pediatric medical research at the hospital’s research enterprise.
The members of the CRF are guided by the principle that there is no higher calling in science or philanthropy than eradicating the suffering caused by debilitating disease and birth defects. The board promotes awareness of the mission through vigorous fundraising, education and outreach activities, as well as an annual showcase event, the Children’s Ball.
Over the years, the CRF’s fundraising efforts have supported a wide range of projects and initiatives. Highlights include: support for the construction and expansion of the Manne Research Institute; the creation of an endowed professorship in neurobiology; the creation of the Bernard L. Mirkin, PhD, MD, Research Scholarship; support for kidney disease research; the establishment of current use funds to support brain tumor research and neurobiology research; an endowment for the genetics program; and resources to launch the Precision Medicine program, one of the hospital’s transformational research priorities.
The CRF’s current fundraising commitment is a five-year, $10 million gift to support the comprehensive efforts of the research enterprise through its five key areas: basic science research; translational research; clinical research trials; health effectiveness; and health services and policy research.
For more information, contact Karmen Williams at kawilliams@luriechildrens.org or 312.227.7204.
The Children’s Service Board(CSB) is comprised of 70 women with diverse backgrounds who share a passion for supporting the hospital through philanthropy, fundraising and volunteering. The CSB began its affiliation with Lurie Children’s in 1986. Since then, the Board has raised more than $16 million to support and advance critical areas of pediatric care, including commitments to the Department of Pediatric Surgery and the creation of an endowed chair for the Head of the Division of Pediatric Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The CSB recently exceeded its $1.5 million fundraising commitment to the Division of Hematology, Oncology, Neuro-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant to recruit a physician-scientist to lead the Molecular Oncology and Bioinformatics Program at the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s.
The CSB’s signature fundraising event is the Gold Coast Fashion Award Show, an annual highlight of the Chicago fashion scene. Each year the event features the season’s top fashions and brings together some of Chicago’s most influential corporate and community leaders.
For more information, contact Ilana Lerman at ilerman@luriechildrens.org or 312.227.7305.
As an Innovator, you'll network with other outstanding philanthropists, get a behind-the-scenes view of our life changing research and programs and leave a lasting impact on our patients and families. The Innovators program offers the opportunity to have unparalleled access to medical center leaders and learn about programs in need of key philanthropic support. Members commit to the program with an annual investment that is collectively pooled to fund a project chosen by the group. At the end of the year, the group gathers to hear proposal pitches from physicians and researchers and then votes on one of three projects to fund.
Every Child Update is a monthly e-newsletter from Lurie Children's focusing on inspiring patient stories, advances in patient care and research, and opportunities to get involved with the hospital.