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