Kansas City,
23
August
2019
|
10:36 AM
America/Chicago

A Milestone Event: The Children’s Research Institute Topping Off

The Children’s Research Institute celebrated a monumental event –

the official Topping Off of the building.

Many of the donors who are making this dream possible gathered in Hospital Hill park to sign the final beam for the building, and watch it be raised into the new building.

“As I look around, I’m reminded of the many pillars of the Kansas City community who are making this project happen,” Paul Kempinski, CEO, said. “Those of you who are gathered here are committed to ensuring a vibrant, healthy community for the city we all love. And this investment in the Children’s Research Institute is key to providing health and hope for generations of children and families – not just in Kansas City, but around the world.”

Through the investment in the CRI, Children’s Mercy will expand research space by 450%, increasing the number of employees devoted to research by 15x. As many of you know, the National Institutes of Health allocates only 10 percent of its $37 billion research budget to pediatrics, while only 5 percent of the more than 7,000 rare pediatric diseases have an FDA-approved drug. Put simply, this lack of funding and focus means kids are being left behind.

The CRI will move kids to the front of the line. 

 
Reaching for the sky: A beam signed by donors is raised at the
 Children's Research Institute topping-off ceremony Tuesday.

There has never been a more exciting time for research at Children’s Mercy. We are resolute in our mission to bring hope and healing to our region’s children. We do that through world-class clinical care, and through a commitment to research that will bring the cures of tomorrow.

As we join forces – clinician and researchers – in even more profound ways in the coming years, we do so with our patients top of mind. We are committed to bridging the bench-to-bedside gap, ensuring that the work done here in the CRI quickly translates to a patient’s bed in Adele Hall, or Kansas, or one of our many locations throughout the region. It is our duty and our passion to provide answers for waiting families, families griped with a medical diagnosis they never saw coming. Patients like Jackson Werth, who is treated by our oncology team.

“We are hoping for a yet-to-be-discovered treatment that will save his life and cure his cancer, and we couldn’t be more excited about the new Children’s Research Institute” Lori Werth, Jackson’s mom, said at the event. “There are thousands of families just like us waiting for answers, waiting for cures for many different childhood diseases. We believe the doctors and researchers at Children’s Mercy will find those answers, for families like us and for generations of kids.”

Thanks to our lead donors, and countless others, our love will find answers for children and families in Kansas City and around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children’s Research Institute Lead Donors

Hall Family Foundation

Sunderland Foundation

Dr. Shawn Sabin and Paul Barnds

Dr. Bob Batterson

Big Slick

Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer

Roberta D. Harding and William F. Bradley, Jr.

Mindy and Justin Bridges

Dara and Jedd Canty

Children’s Relief Association

Dr. Sherralyn and Mr. Harold Craven

Pamela Miller and Michael Cummings

DeBruce Foundation

Ann and Gary Dickinson Family Foundation

Marion Merrell Dow Donor Advisory Fund

The Stanley H. Durwood Foundation

Elizabeth and James Ferrell

Glasnapp Foundation

Donald J. Hall

Dr. Jill Jacobson and Dr. William Truog III

William T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee

Joy and Stewart Koesten

Dr. Steve and Donna Leeder

Jackie and Henry Massman

Henry and Betty Jo Marder

McCownGordon

Jonalee and Paul McLaughlin

Noah’s Bandage Project

Melva and Randall O’Donnell

Sarli Family Foundation

Sandra Schaffer

Lisa and Charlie Schellhorn

Victor E. and Caroline E. Schutte

Foundation Trust E, David W. Frantze and Bank of America, N.A., Trustees

Thomas M. and Betty Scott

Kenneth L. and Eva S. Smith Foundation

The Sosland Foundation

Victor E. Speas Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee

Virginia Stowers

The Stowers Foundation

Marge and Montie Tripp

Trotter and McCoy Families

Ann and Frank Uryasz

President and CEO Paul Kempinski addresses the audience at the August 13 event.