Major gifts, grants, and Foundation events:

 

Levine Children’s Gala Raises Over $2 Million

On Saturday, March 30, the 5th Annual Levine Children’s Gala welcomed over 525 guests to Uptown Charlotte, raising a record $2+ million to benefit Levine Children’s Hospital. The fundraiser was made possible by the generous support of many community sponsors, most notably, presenting sponsor PNC. The Gala was also sponsored by: Collins Aerospace; Barings; Office Environments; Speedway Children’s Charities; Middleton Meyers; Brighthouse Financial; and The Beck Group. The evening featured the announcement of a $500,000 gift by Sandra and Leon Levine as well as a “paddle raise” that generated over $600,000.

 

Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex Support Integrative Oncology at Levine Cancer Institute and Levine Children’s Hospital

Passionate about creating awareness for a disease that has personally impacted their lives (Sherry was diagnosed with cancer in 2014) – the couple recently made a $750,000 transformational gift to Atrium Health through the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. Funds will be used to support integrative medicine initiatives at Levine Cancer Institute and Levine Children’s Hospital.

 

Surgeon Swaps Scrubs for Dancing Shoes

During the Charlotte Ballet’s Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte Gala on March 2, where local “stars” danced with ballet professionals to support local nonprofits and the Ballet, Atrium Health’s own Dr. Courtney Stephenson, director of the Charlotte Fetal Care Center, laced up her dancing shoes and took the stage to raise funds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at Levine Children’s Hospital and the Fetal Care Center. Following countless hours of practice, Dr. Stephenson and her dancing partner wowed the audience with their Austin Powers inspired number. They tied for Judge’s Choice Award and raised over $100,000.

 

Sanger’s Ted Frank, MD, leads successful Heart Transplant Run

On Sunday, April 7, Ted Frank, MD, SHVI heart failure/transplant cardiologist, was joined by fellow SHVI staff, grateful patients and donors, for the Heart Transplant Run, a marathon and “fun run” that benefits the special needs of Sanger’s heart transplant and L-VAD patients. With generous support from the community, including sponsors SHVI, Abbott, and Zoll, the Heart Transplant Run generated over $27,000 for the benefit of SHVI patients.

 

Jeans, Genes and Geniuses raises funds – and hope—for a cure for Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy

Fundraising and philanthropy are truly a family affair for Charlotte natives Jane and Luther Lockwood (a Foundation board member) along with their daughter Jane, and her grandparents, Jane and Hugh McColl. For more than a decade, the McColls and Lockwoods have rallied around a cause that has touched their lives deeply: Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD). Co-chaired by Jane and Luther Lockwood, this year’s Jeans, Genes and Geniuses event netted over $110,000 and included more than 200 friends and supporters, many of whom served as underwriting hosts, signifying an outpouring of community support for this area of research. Event proceeds supported the 6th annual International LGMD research conference held in Charlotte in March.

 

Levine Children’s Mobile App Launches with support from Morris-Jenkins

This February, surrounded by grateful patient-families, members of the Levine Children’s Family Advisory Council, Atrium Health Teammates, and representatives of local HVAC and plumbing company Morris-Jenkins, Levine Children’s Hospital celebrated the official launch of the facility’s mobile app, powered by a tremendous gift from Morris-Jenkins made possible by owner Dewey Jenkins, who also chairs the Levine Children’s Hospital’s Board of Ambassadors. With this latest gift, Dewey Jenkins and the entire Morris-Jenkins family demonstrate their long-standing commitment to Levine Children’s.

 

Atrium Health Innovates: A Community Town Hall

In February 2019, Atrium Health Foundation was pleased to unveil Atrium Health Innovates: A Community Town Hall, a series of one-hour virtual broadcasts highlighting areas of leadership and innovation within Atrium Health. Led by keynote speaker Martha Whitecotton, Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health Services, and moderated by Lou Solomon, Founder and CEO of Interact Authentic Communication, the inaugural Town Hall covered a range of timely behavioral health topics including: Healthcare Innovations; Models of Care; Virtual Care; Addiction; Stigma; Community Support; Sustainable Solutions; Access to Care; and more.

 

Charlotte Catholic Cougars “on the prowl” to cure Bladder Cancer

Charlotte Catholic High School students raised more than $41,000 as part of the school’s annual Cougars 4 a Cure (C4C) event in January. Led by Mitchell and Morgan Salvino—senior and freshman students at Charlotte Catholic High School who took the helm over from their older brother, Matthew—C4C was bolstered by the support of Charlotte Catholic students, faculty, coaches, and athletic teams and achieved a new fundraising record in 2019. All told, C4C has raised more than $170,000 to fund ground-breaking bladder cancer research at Levine Cancer Institute.

 

Cupid’s Cup 5K celebrates 15 years of success

Hearts were warmed by the sight of more than 700 runners, patients, volunteers and donors who braved the chilly weather in February for the 15th Annual Cupid’s Cup 5K. Supporters of all ages gathered for the annual road race in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood, to raise funds for Atrium Health’s cardiac rehabilitation programs. Proceeds topping $40,000 will benefit important medical equipment upgrades and patient scholarships for cardiac rehabilitation clinics at Atrium Health Pineville, Atrium Health SouthPark and Atrium Health Union.

 

Partner News:

Supporting Research for Oral Cancer

Each February since 2014, Shelley Blevins spends a cold morning in Fort Mill, South Carolina cheering on runners who run in loving memory of Shelley’s late husband, Jeremy, an active and healthy family man until he was diagnosed with oral cancer at age 41. To honor her husband’s memory and raise awareness about oral cancer in the Charlotte-area, Shelley established the Jeremy B. Blevins Oral Cancer Fund, for which she organizes an annual Race for the Cause 5K to raise funds and promote awareness of the devastating disease. Thanks to the generosity of donors and corporate sponsors, this year’s Race for the Cause raised $22,000 to benefit oral cancer research and patient care at Levine Cancer Institute.