Northern California’s Real Estate & Construction Council recently raised the most funds in their industry’s history for City of Hope through their annual Spirit of Life® event in San Francisco.

Constance Moore (Photo by Orange Photography)

Constance B. Moore, president and chief executive officer of BRE Properties Inc., was honored with The Spirit of Life Award for her outstanding leadership and philanthropic contributions.

The gala’s auctions raised more than $653,000 to help battle cancer and other life-threatening diseases. During the program, attendees gave generously to raise $108,000 for a fund-a-need program, which contributed to the purchase of equipment for the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

At the May 5 dinner, patient Randy Everett shared how his leukemia diagnosis changed his life. Tony Markel, vice chair of the Markel Corp. and national chair of the Power of Hope campaign, spoke about the importance of supporting research and treatment programs. Markel lost his wife, Susan, to peritoneal cancer in January 2008 and has steadfastly supported City of Hope.

The Real Estate & Construction Council has raised more than $3 million for research and treatment programs at City of Hope since 1986.