Seattle Children's Receives $60 Million Legacy Gift

SEATTLE, Feb. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Seattle Children's today announced it has received the second largest single charitable gift in its 111-year history as the residual beneficiary of the estate of Bruce Leven. The landmark bequest is expected to exceed $60 million. 

Leven's generous legacy gift will support uncompensated care through Seattle Children's creation of the Bruce Leven Endowed Fund. This vital fund will help Seattle Children's deliver on its founding promise to care for all children in the region, regardless of their family's ability to pay.

In addition to helping Seattle Children's continue to provide more than $164 million a year in financial assistance to families in need, the endowment will support uncompensated care within pediatric cancer care, including the Strong Against Cancer philanthropic initiative. The endowment will also support uncompensated care within Seattle Children's Odessa Brown Children's Clinic (OBCC), which manages more than 40,000 patient visits each year. The clinic offers medical, dental and mental health services – especially to families in low-income communities. OBCC's model for care is unique and addresses the social, economic and environmental roots of illness.

Leven's gift is the largest Seattle Children's has received as part of its $1 billion initiative, It Starts With Yes: The Campaign for Seattle Children's, since it launched publicly in November with a bold vision to transform children's health. In addition to advancing Seattle Children's core mission, which includes uncompensated care, the campaign will deliver on the promise and power of immunotherapy, help unlock the mysteries of the developing brain, and launch a new era for community health and wellness. One-third of the campaign consists of legacy gifts from estates and from those who are including Seattle Children's in their will.

"We are deeply grateful for Bruce's incredible generosity in leaving behind a lasting legacy that will help us say yes to hope, care and cure for every child in our region," said Dr. Jeff Sperring, Seattle Children's chief executive officer. "Kids need us now more than ever. It is gifts like these from our community that will ensure we will be able to meet these growing needs now and into the future."

Leven, who passed away in September 2017, was a Mercer Island resident and successful businessman. Among his many business ventures, he acquired and later sold Bayside Disposal and founded the Bayside Automotive Group. As a racecar enthusiast and car collector, Leven also participated in and donated to Seattle Children's Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts (SOVREN) guild events, benefiting uncompensated care. 

For more information about It Starts With Yes, or to join the community that will transform the future of children's health, visit seattlechildrens.org/yes.

About Seattle Children's
Seattle Children's mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. Together, Seattle Children's Hospital, Research Institute and Foundation deliver superior patient care, identify new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and raise funds to create better futures for patients.

Ranked as one of the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children's serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho – the largest region of any children's hospital in the country. As one of the nation's top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children's Research Institute is internationally recognized for its work in neurosciences, immunology, cancer, infectious disease, injury prevention and much more. Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Foundation works with the Seattle Children's Guild Association, the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the country, to gather community support and raise funds for uncompensated care and research. Join Seattle Children's bold initiative – It Starts With Yes: The Campaign for Seattle Children's – to transform children's health for generations to come.

For more information, visit seattlechildrens.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or on our On the Pulse blog. 

Media Contact:
Alyse Bernal
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SOURCE Seattle Children's Hospital