LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Wednesday, Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) announced that the Anderson Stewart Family Foundation has made a $50 million gift to the institution, a visionary investment from the family of Marion and John E. Anderson to further the hospital’s mission to provide a safety net for the most critically ill and advance its commitment to world-class, family-centered pediatric care.

“As philanthropists, the Anderson family is steadfastly devoted to improving the lives of others. Their years of support and leadership helped Children’s Hospital Los Angeles save hundreds of thousands of lives,” says CHLA President and CEO Paul S. Viviano. “Today, we are honored and humbled to receive this new gift that will continue their legacy of creating a better future for the children of this world.”

In 2011, the Anderson family gifted CHLA with $50 million to complete construction of a new state-of-the-art hospital building, which was named the Marion and John E. Anderson Pavilion in recognition of the contribution. In the years since, CHLA’s total patient visits have risen from 393,000 a year to nearly 568,000, which includes nearly 100,000 visits to an emergency department originally constructed to handle 65,000.

The Anderson family’s latest donation will support the hospital in its efforts to ensure that all CHLA patients have access to the critical, lifesaving care they need; and that CHLA doctors, researchers, nurses and other caregivers are equipped with the appropriate resources to provide that care.

“[Marion] often said it was she who should be thanking Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, that her life was transformed for the better as a result of her years of involvement at CHLA,” says the Andersons’ daughter Judy Munzig, chair of the Anderson Stewart Family Foundation. “She loved meeting the children at the hospital and always believed the patients and families deserved the spotlight for their courage and resilience.”

Including the gift announced today, the Anderson family has given more than $100 million in total to CHLA over three decades—in addition to tireless fundraising and strategic guidance—and is now the greatest single benefactor in the history of the hospital.

Marion served as a CHLA Board Trustee from 1989 until her passing in 2017—including co-chairing the Board from 1999 to 2012, leading the hospital during its most successful fundraising campaign to date and several landmark clinical recognitions. Yet she routinely deflected attention from herself, instead pointing to the work done by doctors, nurses and other CHLA staff, often during walking tours of the hospital that she enjoyed giving friends and fellow donors.

“The entire Anderson family has always demonstrated true generosity of spirit by sharing ideas, inspiring others and leading by example, and for that reason we are so grateful for this gift,” says Jeffrey Worthe, Chair of the CHLA Board of Directors. “It vividly reflects the same heart and devotion for children that guided Marion and John as they supported our hospital over the years, and it allows Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to continue exemplifying that conviction of purpose for years to come.”

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is dedicated to creating hope and building healthier futures for children. Founded in 1901, CHLA is one of the nation’s leading academic pediatric medical centers and is acknowledged worldwide for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. The hospital relies on the generosity of the community to support its groundbreaking pediatric research and the complex care it provides for critically ill and injured children.