Orange County Resident Bill Holmes Donates $27 Million To Children's Hospital of Orange County To Name New Tower

ORANGE, Calif., Jan. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children's) today announced that Newport Beach, Calif. resident and retired businessman Bill Holmes made a $27 million gift to name its new pediatric hospital tower, set to open on its main campus in spring 2013. In honor of Holmes' generosity, the tower will be named The Bill Holmes Tower. The Holmes gift is the largest investment in the organization's history from a living donor and is the first to name a building at CHOC Children's.

The 425,000-square-foot tower will house Orange County's only fully-dedicated pediatric emergency department, in addition to advanced operating rooms, laboratory, pathology and imaging services – each with a pediatric environment and staff. The seven-story building, featuring leading design and safety principles, includes enhanced patient and family amenities to create a serene, healing environment for children.

"We are extremely grateful for the support from Mr. Holmes," said Kim Cripe, president and CEO, CHOC Children's. "His generous donation will help us usher in a new era at CHOC; one that truly transforms pediatric medicine, making children's futures brighter than ever."

In addition to his $27 million gift, Holmes previously pledged $200,000 to CHOC Children's, which included a donation to name one of the private patient rooms on the oncology floor of the new patient care tower.

"This is my legacy gift to CHOC Children's and to the children and families in the community," explained Holmes, who moved to Southern California from the Midwest in his teens and built his career in the region.

He added, "The new tower expands on what CHOC can do for the children in our community. Orange County residents should take tremendous pride in having a world-class pediatric facility here."

"We are grateful to Bill Holmes for this legacy gift and his tremendous investment in pediatric healthcare, improving the lives of children and families here in Orange County and beyond for generations to come," said Graig Eastin, vice president, CHOC Children's Foundation.

Holmes' $27 million gift demonstrates significant momentum in the "Change CHOC, Change the World" campaign, which concludes in June 2013. The comprehensive fundraising campaign is designed to help CHOC Children's realize its vision of achieving national recognition as a premier children's hospital by building a new pediatric care tower; establishing a substantial endowment to support recruiting more of the world's top pediatric experts who can drive research and clinical breakthroughs; and building upon the academic and research affiliation with UC Irvine and its School of Medicine to advance innovative treatments and cures for children – locally and across the globe.

To learn more about ways to give to CHOC Children's, call the Foundation at (714) 509-8690 or visit www.choc.org/giving.

For photos of the donor and of The Bill Holmes Tower, please visit http://chocchildrensgift.porternovelli.com.

About CHOC Children's
Named one of the best children's hospitals by U.S. News & World Report (2012-2013), CHOC Children's is exclusively committed to the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients. Affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, CHOC's regional healthcare network includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several primary and specialty care clinics, a pediatric residency program, and four centers of excellence - The CHOC Children's Heart, Neuroscience, Orthopaedic and Hyundai Cancer Institutes.

Media Contact:
Denise Almazan, Director of Public Relations
(714) 509-8680 office; (714) 275-1452 pager
[email protected]

SOURCE Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)