2018 Annual Report

Walk the corridors of CHOC Children’s and you will see, first and foremost, a community. This community is broad and wide, comprised of not only doctors, nurses, therapists, and associates, but also of families, donors, volunteers, neighbors and corporations — all dedicated to a common goal: the health and well-being of children. Each day, this diverse CHOC community offers its expertise, empathy, and experience to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families. By keeping children healthy, the CHOC community keeps childhood healthy too. In the pages of this year’s Annual Report, you will meet members of this compassionate community who together fuel the engine that drives CHOC Children’s. Long Live Childhood.

Dear Friends,

It never ceases to amaze me what we as an organization can accomplish through determination, passion and a shared sense of purpose. This past year, three remarkable events illustrate my point.

First, in April 2018, CHOC Children’s opened the region’s first pediatric mental health inpatient center, marking the culmination of a tremendous effort to provide vital mental health services for children, adolescents and young adults in our community.

Second, CHOC Children’s physicians, staff and parents teamed up to bring a promising drug (Brineura) to our hospital to fight Batten disease, a rare disease of the nervous system. Today, CHOC Children’s is the largest center in the United States, and the second largest center in the world, treating Batten disease with this breakthrough drug.

Lastly, in April 2018, CHOC Children’s announced plans to open the Thompson Autism Center early next year, made possible by a visionary $10 million founding gift from the William and Nancy Thompson Family Foundation. The Thompson Autism Center will be devoted to evaluating children as early as possible to promote better outcomes and establishing a long-term support system for children with complex care needs.

These three milestone events have one theme in common: The power of community. None could have happened without a unified effort that combines not only financial resources from generous donors big and small, but also the knowledge and experience of concerned hospital physicians, associates, donors and community members who saw a great need and came together to meet the challenge.

Someone who truly understood the importance of community to serve the collective vision of CHOC Children’s was Dr. Nick Anas, who passed away unexpectedly on April 3, 2018. Dr. Anas held a variety of posts, including director of CHOC Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit from 1991-2018 and Physician-in-Chief since 2009. Dr. Anas embodied the true spirit of CHOC by being a tremendous physician, supportive colleague, brilliant researcher and phenomenal educator. And no matter how hectic his schedule, Dr. Anas made time for us all. He knew how to break down barriers and find common ground, always staying focused on doing what was best for our patients. He is deeply missed.

Another great visionary and unifier was L. Kenneth Heuler, DDS, who passed away May 30, 2018. Dr. Heuler served on the CHOC Children’s Board of Directors for 30 years, including many years as Board chairman, before retiring from his CHOC involvement at age 93. His dedication is an inspiration to us all.

I also want to mention and give thanks to our Board Chair David Dukes, who will be terming off this year. David’s greatest strength is his expertise in collaboration, bringing together a very motivated Board that was able to turn vision into reality. Our Foundation Board leadership must also be commended for the dynamic work they are doing to raise funds to support our mission and vision.

Working together, we can create a world-class health care community that will “preserve the magic of childhood.” All of us want our children to have a happy and healthy childhood protected against illness and trauma. This coming fall, look for a new marketing campaign designed to highlight this message and support CHOC Children’s ongoing mission to nurture, advance and protect the health and well-being of children.

It will take all of us to reach this goal. Thank you for your continued support,

Kimberly Chavalas Cripe
President and Chief Executive Officer
CHOC Children’s

Dear Friends,

As the new Vice President and Chief Development Officer of the CHOC Children’s Foundation, I have the opportunity to be involved in an organization that helps children and families build healthy, happy tomorrows. It is the most purposeful career path I could possibly take, and I am honored to serve in this role.

When I talk to potential donors about giving, I frame the discussion in terms of making an investment. As we all know, one of the ways individuals grow wealth is by making smart financial investments with the expectation that they will receive a positive financial return over time. I view charitable giving in much the same light… where people have an opportunity to invest in a charitable organization and receive a positive return on their “social investment.”

At CHOC Children’s, we are fortunate to have a community of investors who share the organization’s passion to “nurture, advance and protect the health and well-being of children.” This is critically important since many of CHOC Children’s programs and services would be unsustainable without the philanthropic support from people like you.

Your investment in CHOC Children’s mission helps children and, in doing so, serves our community in a unique and very special way. CHOC Children’s Mental Health Initiative is one clear example. Mental health issues have not solely become a challenge for a child and his or her family. It is now society’s challenge… it is our challenge. And we must come together to do something about it.

Our new Mental Health Initiative confirms that we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and say “it’s someone else’s problem.” As a community, we must come together to solve the problems that confront us all, and the issue of mental health is a big one. Early intervention around mental illness is the key, and there is no other organization in our community that is addressing this crisis the way we are.

The CHOC Children’s Foundation Board of Directors has been instrumental this past year in overseeing the fund- raising and operational activities of the CHOC Foundation. From reaching out to key donors and connecting us with community leaders, to facilitating fun and productive events, our highly engaged Foundation Board worked closely with our Foundation team to successfully reach our goals in fiscal year 2018.

Some key highlights included the CHOC Children’s Gala, held at the Disneyland Resort, which raised $2.7 million. Another highlight of the year was the inaugural CHOC Poker Tournament held at the Irvine Spectrum Marriott, which raised more than $400,000. And of course our nationally acclaimed CHOC Walk in the Park presented by Disneyland® Resort, which featured over 13,000 walkers and raised $2.5 million.

I want to thank the talented and dedicated team at the CHOC Children’s Foundation for another successful year.

I am honored and privileged to work with such an outstanding group of caring individuals. I would also like to thank you — our wonderful donors and volunteers — for all you do for us. Your time, talent and investment in CHOC allow us to help build healthy futures for the precious children in our community.

With Deep Appreciation

Douglas J. Corbin CFRE, CSPG
Vice President, Chief Development Officer CHOC Children’s Foundation