$2.1 million pledge helps support first-of-its-kind Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine
Black & Veatch today hosted the 21st Annual Charity Golf Tournament in support of Children’s Mercy. Proceeds from the tournament and company giving totaling $350,000 were donated to Children’s Mercy. This year’s event is helping to fulfill a five-year pledge of $2.1 million made in 2015 to help expand services at the Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine to include childhood cancers. The annual golf event and company donations have now surpassed $3.4 million since its inception.
The Center is the first of its kind and dedicated to be the leading global referral center for the diagnosis, molecular understanding and treatment of inherited childhood diseases. Through the support of the Black & Veatch Foundation and other organizations, hundreds of families affected by rare inherited diseases are referred to and treated by Children's Mercy each year.
“Thanks to generous support from Black & Veatch, Children’s Mercy is making great progress toward building a comprehensive center for pediatric genomics,” says Dr. Erin Guest, Director, Cancer Genomics Program and Oncology Biorepository. “Our ability to get a research program of this caliber off the ground and chart a better course for children with cancer this quickly would not have been possible without philanthropic support from community leaders like Black & Veatch.”
The 21st Annual Charity Golf Tournament was at the Shadow Glen Golf Club in Olathe, Kansas. All proceeds from the event go directly to Children’s Mercy.
“Black & Veatch’s five-year pledge of $2.1 million to support the Children’s Mercy Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine is helping the Center expand its focus on oncology treatment for patients including those with rare and challenging diseases,” said Steve Edwards, Chairman and CEO of Black & Veatch. “Through this funding, the Center’s talented professionals are able to provide life-saving care and conduct important research to improve patient outcomes across the region. We are proud of our long history with the Center and look forward to the growth of this first-of-its-kind facility.”
Tournament fundraising in the past has also supported the construction and renovations for Children’s Mercy East in Eastern Jackson County and Children’s Mercy Broadway. Support has also been provided to the CARE Clinic, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, robotic surgery, neonatal intensive care nursery, emergency department and urgent care centers.
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About Children’s Mercy
Founded in 1897, Children’s Mercy is one of the nation’s top pediatric medical centers. With not-for-profit hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, and numerous specialty clinics in both states, Children’s Mercy provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked Children’s Mercy as one of “America's Best Children's Hospitals.” For the fourth time in a row, Children’s Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation, awarded to fewer than seven percent of all hospitals nationally, for excellence in quality care. Its faculty of more than 700 pediatric subspecialists and researchers across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research, and educating the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. Thanks to generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s Mercy provides medical care to every child who passes through its doors, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. For more information about Children’s Mercy and its research, visit childrensmercy.org. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
Editor’s Notes:
• The Black & Veatch Foundation serves as the platform for participation by the company and its professionals in supporting a variety of philanthropic organizations and programs worldwide.
• Since its beginning, Black & Veatch and its professionals have been actively involved in supporting community needs. The Foundation builds on the company's history of community involvement by globally expanding Black & Veatch's overall philanthropic role, involvement and impact in our communities. Since its inception the Black & Veatch Foundation has made more than $14 million in charitable and educational donations around the world.
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About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building critical human infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries through consulting, engineering, construction, operations and program management. Our revenues in 2018 were US$3.5 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and in social media.
