Members of the National Office Products Industry, or NOPI, recently celebrated their success in raising a record $7.2 million for City of Hope’s cancer research and treatment programs.
Executives from throughout the industry gathered to mark their fundraising achievements on Oct. 4 at a gala dinner at the Chicago Hilton Hotel. Jess Beim, senior vice president of Avery Dennison, received this year’s Spirit of Life® Award, and past award recipients who attended also were recognized. The Spirit of Life Award is City of Hope’s most prestigious honor and recognizes outstanding philanthropic commitment. Nearly 1,000 industry members attended the event.
The year-long campaign, which encompassed a variety of fundraising events ranging from golf outings to bike rides, marked the industry’s 25th year of support for City of Hope. Cause marketing programs associated with the industry, such as Sanford’s “Write for Hope” campaign, Staples’ $1 scratch-cards, 3M’s pink-ribbon Post-It promotion and sponsorship of Walk for Hope, direct mail corporate matching gift programs from Office Depot and Avery Dennison also contributed to the record total. Since its inception, the industry group has raised $62 million for City of Hope’s research and treatment programs.
”I am humbled to be recognized in this landmark year of our industry’s support of City of Hope,” said Beim. “The physicians and researchers at City of Hope are unyielding in their efforts to accelerate discoveries quickly and effectively into treatments for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. I applaud all my predecessors for the work they’ve done to help make this remarkable institution what it is today, a leader in the future of modern medicine.”
NOPI began in 1983 with fewer than seven members from the Chicago area. Today, it is a national organization with more than 800 regular supporters. The industry’s executive committee comprises key representatives from the manufacturing and distribution sides of the industry.
In 1998, NOPI undertook the responsibility of funding the building of the NOPI Center for Biomedicine & Genetics at City of Hope, which opened in 2000. This year, $1.5 million of the campaign’s funds were earmarked for the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Cancer Immunotherapeutics and Tumor Immunology.
