DEVELOPMENT: Philanthropy at Work

 

Stanford and Joan Alexander listen as Dr. Sue-Hwa Lin explains how the molecule C-CAM - located on the surface of most normal and some cancer cells - is lost upon development of prostate cancer. When C-CAM is replaced experimentally in aggressive cancer cells, it has been found to suppress tumor growth, says Dr. Lin, associate professor of molecular pathology. This research has increased scientists' understanding of prostate cancer progression, paving the way for development of innovative treatments, including gene therapy.

 

The Alexanders have contributed much time and financial support to the Prostate Cancer Research Program.

 

 

Each year, the success of M. D. Anderson's fund-raising efforts is dependent upon the work of many individuals and the generosity of donors.

 

Fiscal year 1996-97 - the most successful fund-raising year this institution has experienced outside of a capital campaign - illustrated a cooperative endeavor in securing more than $37.7 million in private gifts and pledges from individuals, corporations and foundations.

 

One of the most visible examples of a partnership effort is the success achieved in meeting the goals of the Institutional Funding Initiatives, which were established nearly two years ago by faculty and The University Cancer Foundation Board of Visitors members.

 

The funding priorities include: five multidisciplinary research programs for cancers of the brain, breast, ovary, prostate and skin; the Cancer Prevention Program; the Faculty Achievement Awards; and funding for the Department of Carcinogenesis at M. D. Anderson's Science Park-Research Division near Smithville, Texas.

 

By close of the fiscal year, 89 percent of the $26.5 million total goal for these initiatives was achieved. Designated goals were exceeded in the areas of cancer prevention, Science Park, and brain and breast cancer research.

 

According to Patrick B. Mulvey, associate vice president for development, "These philanthropic initiatives have created an opportunity for faculty involvement in the fund-raising process, where they can explain the importance of their work and need for support. The relationships our faculty have developed with donors and prospects have helped to assure many gifts."

 

Another fund-raising attempt that works best through a series of partnerships is the staging of special events. During the past year, M. D. Anderson volunteers coordinated three major fund raisers - A Conversation With A Living Legend, Polo on the Prairie and the Saks Fifth Avenue Gala.

 

A Conversation With A Living Legend, held in fall 1996, featured Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf being interviewed by WFAA-TV news anchor Chip Moody during a luncheon. Highlights included the General's recap of a military career that included commanding 800,000 troops during the Persian Gulf War and reflections on his own battle with prostate cancer. Living Legend, which was chaired by Fort Worth board member Wade Nowlin, netted $224,446.

 

Polo on the Prairie, which hosted more than 1,500 M. D. Anderson supporters on the Musselman Brothers Lazy 3 Ranch in West Texas in early spring, featured singer/songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker as the evening entertainment and actor Tommy Lee Jones as the most popular polo player on the field. Polo netted $114,801 and was chaired by board members Mary Anne McCloud and Henry Musselman, and by Melinda Musselman.

 

The majority of the $600,000 raised by the Saks Fifth Avenue Gala was secured this past year.

 

A fund-raiser for the Nellie B. Connally Breast Cancer Fund, the gala filled the glitzy new Saks store in the Houston Galleria with 60 food stations and elite fashion designers such as Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beane, Carolina Herrera, Bob Mackie, Mary McFadden, Isaac Mizrahi and Diane Von Furstenberg.

 

Former Texas First Lady Connally chaired the event with co-chairs Anne Mendelsohn, former public television producer and wife of M. D. Anderson President Dr. John Mendelsohn; Susan Bischoff, assistant managing editor of the Houston Chronicle; and Barbara Hurwitz, veteran Houston fund-raiser and board member.

 

Through the efforts of third-party special events - fund-raisers held on behalf of M. D. Anderson but coordinated by outside organizations - an additional $450,000 was raised.

 

A few of these larger undertakings were the Kindness for Kids campaign, presented by Randalls Food Markets; A Tablescape Adventure, organized by Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club; and Houston Astros/Exxon Company USA Cap Sales promotion.

 

"The year's fund-raising efforts have been exceptional," Mulvey says. "Thanks to the support of every thoughtful donor, each gift received enables us to make M. D. Anderson's effort to eradicate cancer ever greater."

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