Hundreds of volunteers from Las Vegas to San Diego recently descended on City of Hope’s Duarte campus for the most expansive event in this year’s Tour of Hope.
The Tour of Hope is a national program held in eight cities across the country each year. These events bring together City of Hope faculty, administrators, donors, Walk for Hope team captains and members of local chapters.
 Tour of Hope participants hear about robotic surgery. (Photo by AmyCantrell.com) |
Organized with the help of the Ambassador Leadership Council, the Tour of Hope updates volunteers about City of Hope’s progress against disease and recognizes volunteers’ longtime loyalty.
The June 26 event united nearly 700 major gift donors, chapter members and grateful patients for a day of learning and inspiration. It featured talks by physicians and scientists, as well as sessions with City of Hope leaders.
After Kathleen Kane, executive vice president of development and external affairs, welcomed guests, Alexandra Levine, M.D., M.A.C.P., spoke to them about the importance of City of Hope’s new medical foundation.
The visitors then separated into groups for the five-stop tour of City of Hope. At the Sheri & Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center, Matthew Loscalzo, L.C.S.W., executive director of the Department of Supportive Care Medicine, described the center’s interdisciplinary care.
Attendees also watched urologic surgeon David Josephson, M.D., demonstrate a surgical robot and stopped at the Rose Garden for a lecture on complementary medicine by surgical oncologist Lily Lai, M.D.
James Bolen, facilities and emergency planner for basic research operations, and Amy Cook, graduate student at the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, shared updates on ongoing research at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, while Richard Thompson, vice president of facilities, provided insight on City of Hope’s campus plans.
After the tour, attendees mingled with City of Hope faculty and staff at a reception.
The event ended with a dinner in which Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president, chief executive officer and holder of the Irell & Manella Cancer Center Director’s Distinguished Chair, talked about the importance of the Power of Hope campaign and thanked volunteers for their commitment and support.
Each chapter in attendance was recognized at the dinner. In addition, several groups received awards for accomplishments: The Board of Governors raised the most money of all chapters since the last Convention; the Sportsmen’s Club raised the most money — $72 million — since its inception; and the Esperanza Chapter had the most attendees at the Tour of Hope event.
“We’d like to thank all the chapter members who attended the Tour of Hope,” said Alan Levey, senior vice president of development. “We appreciate their past and ongoing support as they have been the foundation from which City of Hope has been built — a true grassroots movement.”
Outgoing board chair Terry Peets also spoke about City of Hope’s accomplishments and growth during his three-year tenure, and Sheri Biller told attendees she looked forward to becoming City of Hope’s new board chair and leading the Power of Hope campaign. Friedman also acknowledged outgoing board member Ernie So.
The Tour of Hope continues with stops in San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia.
