ENVISIONING EXCELLENCE
Sharp HealthCare’s Historic Campaign Launches
Sharp HealthCare continues to lead San Diego’s health care into the future. Recently, the Foundations of Sharp HealthCare launched ENVISION: The Campaign for Sharp HealthCare with two milestone events.
On May 26, on the site where Thomas E. Sharp broke ground in 1953 for the Donald N. Sharp Memorial Community Hospital, Sharp broke ground on the Cushman Emergency and Trauma Center at Sharp Memorial Hospital. This marks the first of several initiatives that will transform health care for the San Diego community. The Cushman Foundation’s $4 million gift is making the new emergency medical facility a reality.
On June 8, more than 600 philanthropists, board directors, physicians, employees and community leaders gathered for Envisioning Excellence at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park to celebrate the campaign’s launch. There, it was announced that the campaign had already raised $88 million, one-third of its $250 million goal, including gifts from more than 10,000 donors – and 15 gifts of $1 million or more.
ENVISION, the largest philanthropy effort in Sharp’s history, is making possible Sharp’s $2 billion, decade-long investment in San Diego’s health care future.
Honoring the Cushman Legacy
In conjunction with the groundbreaking, Sharp celebrated the Cushman family’s legacy of philanthropy to Sharp HealthCare. Elliott Cushman was one of the founding donors to the original San Diego Hospital Association (SDHA), joining the campaign for the Donald N. Sharp Memorial Community Hospital, which opened in 1955. Elliott later supported Sharp in several capacities, including serving on the SDHA Board and Finance Committee, helping dedicate the Sharp Memorial north tower in 1975, and remaining an advisor to Sharp leadership for decades. Sharp recognized his legacy with the naming of the Elliott and Helen Cushman Wellness Center at Sharp Memorial in 2003.
Elliott’s son, Steve Cushman, has followed in his father’s footsteps, serving Sharp for five decades on numerous boards and committees, including Chair of Sharp HealthCare and Chair of Sharp Memorial. His extraordinary career of public service has helped Sharp become one of the most successful health care systems in the nation.
Steve’s daughter, Lori Moore, began her dedication to the community as a candy-striper and nurse at Sharp Memorial. Following her father’s example, Lori volunteered for two decades to Sharp, ultimately becoming Chair of the Board of Sharp HealthCare. Lori has been active in several Sharp philanthropy initiatives, including Sharp HospiceCare, Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and Sharp Memorial.
“It is an honor to represent four generations of support to Sharp HealthCare,” Lori shared with GB Magazine. “Sharp is a pillar in our community and we are proud to be a leader in ENVISION. We encourage everyone in our community to come together in whatever capacity resonates with you because Sharp treats you like family, and family always comes first.”
Next for the ENVISION campaign is the groundbreaking for the Sharp Grossmont Hospital Neurosciences Center, a new facility dedicated to treating diseases of the brain and spine.
“We are humbled by the extraordinary support for ENVISION from across the Sharp HealthCare family and community,” says Bill Littlejohn, CEO of the Foundations of Sharp HealthCare. “We hope others will join us as we continue our mission to improve the health of the community with a commitment to excellence in all that we do.”
Begin your ENVISION journey by visiting www.sharp.com/envision.
