The largest single contribution to City of Hope Orange County establishes Lennar Foundation Cancer Center
World-renowned cancer research and treatment center City of Hope Orange County has received a $50 million gift from Lennar Foundation, the charitable arm of homebuilder Lennar Corporation.
This transformational gift of hope is the largest single philanthropic contribution to City of Hope Orange County. It will expedite the health care organization’s bold plans to invest $1 billion to develop and operate a comprehensive cancer campus in Irvine, California, and establish an Orange County network of advanced cancer care and research that will speed groundbreaking treatments directly to a community with growing needs.
The future 190,000-square-foot Lennar Foundation Cancer Center at City of Hope Orange County will be located on 11 acres at Five Point’s Great Park in the heart of Irvine. It will bring best-in-class cancer care, pioneering research and lifesaving treatments to the county’s 3.2 million residents. Construction is already underway on the comprehensive cancer center, which will open in 2022. In addition, Orange County’s only hospital dedicated exclusively to treating and curing cancer will open at City of Hope Irvine in 2025.
“This generous gift of hope is a historic moment for City of Hope,” said Annette M. Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County. “Thank you to Lennar Foundation, which is united in our vision and understands the urgency of our work, helping us ensure that our promise to Orange County will be fulfilled. We are building a place of hope and healing that will serve residents of Orange County and beyond for generations to come.”
City of Hope’s presence in Orange County offers local access to City of Hope’s National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with world-renowned cancer physicians and researchers who are singularly focused on finding better treatments and cures.
Lennar Foundation Cancer Center at City of Hope Orange County will bring to the region a host of distinguishing services, including, local access to more than 1,000 physicians and researchers who are transforming laboratory breakthroughs into targeted treatments that offer the best hope for patients, access to hundreds of clinical trials that make 21st century treatments available to cancer patients meeting clinical criteria soon after they are developed, a range of treatment options and new ways for preventing and treating cancer in its early stages.
“City of Hope saved my life,” said grateful Orange County patient Nicole Petersen Murr. “My family and I will be forever indebted to my doctor and care team. Anyone who has heard the words ‘You have cancer’ knows how those words change your life and affect every piece of it. I want everyone who hears those words to have the same compassionate care and access to the latest treatments that I had. Having City of Hope in Orange County changes everything for cancer patients — present and future. I’m so grateful to have this world-renowned care in my own community.”
As the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Lennar Foundation’s extraordinary contribution underscores the importance of investing in local health care resources and increasing access to leading-edge care. For Orange County, it is a reminder that cancer does not stop, and that City of Hope’s mission is more important than ever.
Lennar has a long history in Orange County of developing thriving communities, including helping form the vision for a world-class recreation and lifestyle destination. This gift is an extension of this longstanding commitment to improving lives in the regions Lennar helps shape. A portion of the gift to City of Hope is designated to support clinical translational research between City of Hope and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Miami, thus uniting two organizations supported by Lennar’s generosity who share similar goals in developing new treatments and cures for patients with cancer.
“Anyone who has heard the words ‘You have cancer’ knows how those words change your life ... I want everyone who hears those words to have the same compassionate care and access to the latest treatments that I had. Having City of Hope in Orange County changes everything for cancer patients — present and future.” - Nicole Petersen Murr
Lennar Foundation’s gift to City of Hope is a generous continuation of Lennar’s longstanding support of the comprehensive cancer center. Jon Jaffe, co-chief executive officer and co-president of Lennar Corporation, is a member of City of Hope’s Construction Industries Alliance Leadership Advisory Council, which raises funds for cancer treatment and research. In recognition of his contributions, Jaffe was awarded City of Hope’s highest honor — The Spirit of Life® Award in 2004.
“City of Hope is a leader in the treatment of and race to find a cure for cancer and it’s gratifying to know that, with this gift, we will make a positive impact by expanding access to care and advancing the research that will treat, prevent and ultimately eliminate cancer — we hope this contribution will encourage other philanthropic leaders to support City of Hope in the fight against cancer,” Jaffe said.
City of Hope Newport Beach, the first phase of City of Hope Orange County’s expansion, opened in early 2020, providing Orange County residents first-time local access to world-renowned physicians backed by the powerful City of Hope network. City of Hope plans to open other clinical network locations across the region.
To make an appointment at City of Hope Newport Beach, call (949) 763-2204. For more information on the progress of City of Hope’s Orange County expansion, please visit CityofHope.org/OC.
