Page 13 - City of Hope NBPI 2022 SOL Journal

$36 million gift in 1999 that established the Betty and Irwin Helford Clinical Research Hospital — the largest-ever contribution to the organization at the time. That gift helped start City of Hope’s transformation from a small hospital campus to one of the largest cancer
families greatly influenced all of us here, as well as many friends of our organization from the business products industry who followed his model of generosity. The impact of the transformative gift he and Betty made was magnified by
research and treatment organizations in the United States. Helford Hospital opened in 2005 as a state-of-the- art facility for delivering the latest breakthrough cancer treatments and immediately became the primary center for inpatient care at City of Hope.
At the grand opening of Helford Hospital, Helford remarked, “This hospital will save more lives than ever before and give hope to those who need it most. We have not donated money here. We have invested in the scientists, researchers and other staff at City of Hope, knowing that the great lifesaving work you will do will help people in need.”
Betty and Irwin with children, 1959 and 1986.
his vital leadership.”
City of Hope would not be where it is today without the Helford family. Helford was a generous and dedicated partner to City of Hope, and he leaves behind a legacy for the ages. The City of Hope community remembers him with boundless esteem and heartfelt affection.
“I will always remember Irwin smiling — a gentle smile that recognized the good things in life as well as life’s difficulties,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., chief executive officer emeritus at City of Hope. “He was a person of vision, of deep commitment, of caring and of insight, a constellation of features he brought to everything: to his love of music and the American Songbook, to his business, to his family and to City of Hope. His visionary commitment to Helford Hospital transformed our Los Angeles campus, not only by supplying patients with the best possible venue for treatment, but also by matching technology with heart. His impact on patients and their loved ones is simply incalculable.”
Artist’s rendering of the proposed Betty and Irwin Clinical Research Hospital
“The gift Irwin and Betty Helford
made nearly 25 years ago took us
from a growing regional biomedical
treatment and research institution
to a next-generation comprehensive
cancer center at the forefront of
clinical care and scientific discovery,”
said Steven T. Rosen, M.D., provost,
chief scientific officer and Irell &
Manella Cancer Center Director’s
Distinguished Chair at City of Hope.
“It was a milestone for City of Hope but more importantly, an act of generosity that has changed and saved lives. We are so grateful for Irwin’s leadership and dedication to patients.”
Throughout his growing success, Helford and his wife Betty committed to supporting the work of City of Hope. Helford championed its mission with his business industry colleagues and, through his leadership, the National Business Products Industry group came to be a significant philanthropic partner. In 1994, he received City of Hope’s Spirit of Life® Award, which honors industry leaders who exemplify the ideals and values that have guided the institution for more than a century.
“Irwin Helford exemplified the true spirit of philanthropy at City of Hope and inspired countless others by his example,” said Kristin J. Bertell, City of Hope’s chief philanthropy officer. “His relentless focus on compassionate care for patients and