Cedars-Sinai Honored for Legacy of Philanthropy
Medical Center Recognized on National Philanthropy Day by Association of Fundraising Professionals
On a day designated annually to recognize philanthropy nationwide, Cedars-Sinai received the highest honor awarded by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Los Angeles Chapter (AFP-GLAC).
The Legacy of Philanthropy award, presented at a special luncheon on October 28th, recognized the medical center for its mission to provide compassionate care to patients and their families, as well as conduct groundbreaking research, which is supported by the institution’s far-reaching giving campaigns. The Legacy of Philanthropy award also highlights the nearly $120 million in community grants the health system has given to local organizations over the past five years to support programs that improve the health of the Greater Los Angeles community.
Jonathan Schreiber, vice president of Community Engagement, accepted the award on behalf of the medical center. Schreiber’s address echoed the theme of this year’s event, “Bringing Joy to Fundraising: Aligning People, Purpose and Community.”
“All of us who look honestly at our city know that we have an enormous amount of hard work ahead if we are going to build communities that truly work for all of our residents,” Schreiber said.
During his talk, Schreiber recounted Cedars-Sinai’s history of outreach to neighborhoods and schools through mobile health vans, an approach that was altered in recent years and remains a work in progress.
“In retrospect, we believed Cedars-Sinai could basically ride out into the city with medical expertise and resources and slay the dragons of inadequate medical care, homelessness, food insecurity, domestic violence … (but) our intended heroism wasn’t enough … the needs were too enormous,” Schreiber said. “Guided by that paradigm, we began seeking out partners … to build long-term stability so organizations can improve and expand their services to underserved clients on a sustained basis.”
Arthur J. Ochoa, JD, Cedars-Sinai senior vice president of Advancement and chief advancement officer, says the hospital is weighing serious issues facing the nation and the world, as it develops plans for future philanthropic outreach. “Cedars-Sinai is grateful for this prestigious honor. As we move forward, navigating challenging issues like viral outbreaks and economic uncertainty, we know there is much more work to be done to have the greatest impact through our giving campaigns.”
Other honorees include the LA Marriott Business Council, Andrew Chushnir of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Robert Hart of TruAmerica and homeless advocacy organization SHARE! (Self-Help and Recovery Exchange). Eleven-year-old Eliana Fire of the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles was this year’s Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy.
“Eliana … you have a courageous heart. Young people like you give us faith in the future of Los Angeles,” Schreiber said.
The ceremony was the first in-person awards event AFP-GLAC has held in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: A Giving Mission: Cedars-Sinai Community Benefit Program