Du it Right
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s reimagined Sun Family Campus in Irvine will be built around the Du Family Hospital Pavilion, in honor of a $25 million gift from longtime supporters Benjamin “Ben” Du, founder of Flojet, and his wife, Carmela Du. The Du Family Hospital Pavilion will serve as a focal point for welcoming patients and visitors to Hoag’s $1 billion expansion project in Irvine.
When complete, the expanded campus will include renovations to existing facilities, alongside new state-of-the-art specialty care centers for surgical innovation, cancer and digestive and women’s health, in addition to a dedicated urgent care for cancer patients.
The expansion will bring six new buildings, 155 inpatient beds, eight operating rooms, two additional procedure rooms and 120,000 square feet of ambulatory facilities to the Sun Family Campus.
“Giving back is an important part of our family legacy,” Carmela Du said. “We are inspired by Hoag’s work to redefine the future of healthcare, right here in Orange County. We fully support the vision of Hoag’s expanded care.”
Ben and Carmela Du’s first major gift to Hoag in 2015 established the Benjamin & Carmela Du Endowed Chair in Urologic Oncology, which supports breakthroughs in prostate cancer treatment at Hoag. In 2018, the couple’s $5 million gift, the largest gift to Hoag’s Irvine campus at the time, allowed Hoag to unveil the Benjamin & Carmela Du Emergency Pavilion.
The couple are also members of Hoag Innovators, a group of community leaders dedicated to supporting innovation at Hoag, including the funding of a Prostate Cancer Screening Clinic pilot in 2023. Ben Du also served on the Hoag Hospital Foundation board of directors for nine years.
The Du family joins Diana and David Sun, co-founder and chief operating officer, Kingston Technology and co-founders, the Sun Family Foundation, the Pacific Life Foundation and other donors to support Hoag Hospital Foundation’s Boldly Hoag capital campaign.
Boldly Hoag has raised more than $180 million toward its $300 million goal to fund the hospital’s expansion and support Hoag’s three interconnected initiatives, which includes elevating the patient experience; recruiting and retaining the nation’s brightest health care professionals, and defining and building the future of healthcare.
Vintage: Hope
NEWPORT BEACH — CureDuchenne and Alpha Omega Winery hosted its 10th annual Napa in Newport gala on April 20 at Pendry Newport Beach. The event raised more than $1.35 million to find and fund a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive neuromuscular disease.
This year’s gala featured a collection of high-quality, limited-production wines from Napa Valley vintners. Guests experienced a Grand Tasting with 29 vintners showcasing their finest vintages, including this year’s Vintner Chair, Alpha Omega Winery.
Following the tastings, guests took part in a multi-course gourmet dinner at vintner-hosted tables, with a meal curated by Chef Charles Phan, executive chef and founder, Slanted Door.
CureDuchenne also honored Douglas Ingram, president and chief executive, Sarepta Therapeutics, for his dedication to advancing treatments and support for individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“We are so grateful for the generosity of our vintners, sponsors and guests,” said Debra Miller, founder and CEO, CureDuchenne. “With the significant funds raised at Napa in Newport, we’ve strategically invested in promising research that has significantly driven scientific progress.
There is more hope and progress toward a cure than ever before, but we’re not done until everyone with Duchenne has a transformative treatment. This milestone year, we celebrated hope, progress and the unwavering dedication of our community toward finding a cure for all.”
Event sponsors include Porsche Newport Beach, Porsche Irvine, South Coast Plaza and MWA Luxury.
Giving is a Science and an Art
IRVINE — On April 16, in front of a packed house of more than 1,000 student musicians and their families at the 40th annual Donald Bren Honors Concert held at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Cyril Yu, president, Irvine Unified School Board (IUSD), accepted a $2 million contribution in support of the district’s arts, music and science education, from Irvine Co. and the Donald Bren Foundation, part of a 20-year, nearly $50 million funding commitment made by the two organizations to provide arts, music and science education in IUSD through the Excellence in Education Enrichment program, which helps provide art, music and science teachers to every fourth through sixth grader in IUSD.
Instruction includes two one-hour science lessons per week, two 40-minute music lessons per week and six one-hour art lessons per year, all taught by highly specialized instructors.
“Educational opportunity and excellence have always been at the heart of our planning efforts in Irvine,” said Jeff Davis, senior vice president, Irvine Co. “The funding commitment made through the Excellence in Education Enrichment program has deepened our decades-long partnership with IUSD, students and families to support enrichment programs in science, art and music.”
Bits & Pieces
Once-Ballet Foundation was awarded nearly $11,800 on April 9 from 100 Women Who Care, Orange County Chapter, an organization in which women from across Orange County come together four times a year to learn about local nonprofits, then pool their member’s donations of $100 per person to give to one standout organization.
On April 10, Orange County Community Foundation hosted Empowering Possibilities, a 24-hour, online fundraiser in Orange County, which raised $133,000 to be divided among eight local nonprofits, including Beyond Blindness, Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, GiGi’s Playhouse Orange County, Project Independence, Reimagine, Sandy Feet Initiative, Tomorrow’s Leadership Collaborative Charter School and Unlimited Possibilities.
Citizens Business Bank presented Seneca with a $10,000 check on April 26, which will support Seneca’s Unconditional Education programs, enhancing Seneca’s public school partnerships.
