Upstate Cancer Center Campaign nears halfway mark
SYRACUSE, N.Y.— Upstate Medical University has raised $6 million toward its $15 million fundraising goal for the Upstate Cancer Center, university officials announced today.
"We're elated by the support from the Central New York community," said Eileen Pezzi, Upstate's vice president for development. "There still is plenty of work to do, but to be near the halfway mark so early in our campaign is very encouraging." A silent phase of the campaign began early last year; official kick of the campaign was in December 2010.
Dollars raised so far represent contributions from Upstate employees, area businesses and corporations. Also included in the dollar amount are proceeds from such high-profile fundraisers as the Upstate Gala, Paige's Butterfly Run, the Clear Channel Radiothon and the recent Father Daughter Valentine Ball.
"Just like when we sought support for the children's hospital, the community is responding with generosity," Pezzi said.
Helping lead the charge to build what officials say will be the region's most comprehensive resource for fighting cancer in Syracuse are Syracuse University basketball head coach Jim Boeheim and Buffalo Sabres star and Syracuse native Tim Connolly, who serve as honorary co-chairs of "Give Hope a New Home," the name given to the university's capital campaign for the 90,000-square-foot Upstate Cancer Center in Syracuse. Both Boeheim and Connolly are featured prominently in a video documenting the need for the Upstate Cancer Center.
The Upstate Cancer Center, which will become the region's most comprehensive resource for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and related disorders, will bring Upstate's outpatient cancer services under one roof, feature dedicated spaces that support holistic care and serve as a vital component to the Upstate Cancer Research Institute.
The "Give Hope" campaign seeks to raise $10 million for the actual construction and $5 million for programmatic endowments supporting adult medical oncology, children's oncology, surgical oncology, brain tumors, breast cancer, radiation oncology and the Upstate Cancer Research Institute. The overall cost of the Upstate Cancer Center will be $74.5 million.
Construction of the five-story Upstate Cancer Center at East Adams and Almond streets is scheduled to start in March with an opening date of September 2013.
To learn more how you can help or make a pledge, contact the Foundation for Upstate Medical University at 315-464-HOPE (4673), or www.foundationforupstate.org.