OSF Comprehensive Cancer Center Lead Gifts Announced
Two $1 Million Gifts Mark Generous Start to Campaign
The OSF HealthCare Foundation is excited to announce two lead fundraising gifts for the Comprehensive Cancer Center to be built on the campus of OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
OSF HealthCare CEO Bob Sehring and his wife, Barb, and Jay and Betty Vonachen and their son and daughter-in-law, Matt and Lesley Vonachen, have each committed to giving $1-million gifts in support of the campaign.
“To see the leadership of these two generous families for our Comprehensive Cancer Center campaign fills my heart, and the hearts of all of the Sisters, with joy,” said Sister Judith Ann Duvall, O.S.F., Chairperson of the Boards, OSF HealthCare. “That the CEO of our HealthCare Ministry and the Vonachens, as volunteer leaders for our OSF Ministry, are personally supporting the comprehensive cancer center with $1-million gifts shows how invested they are in the importance of this project, which will forever change cancer care throughout the state of Illinois.”
“Barb and I are blessed to be in a position to support this project that will bring the best resources and treatments to those facing a cancer journey,” said Bob Sehring. “This facility will be a testament to the type of cancer care OSF HealthCare feels is vital for those we serve.”
Jay Vonachen has dedicated five decades of volunteer service to OSF, including a record-setting leadership tenure on the OSF Saint Francis Community Advisory Board. Matt Vonachen serves on the OSF HealthCare Foundation Board and is the chair of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Steering Committee.
“If your family is not directly affected by cancer, chances are you know someone who is,” said Matt Vonachen. “My parents, Lesley, and I want to do our part in bringing this potential life-changing care to a community that means so much to us and our family. This center will help Peoria become a national leader in cancer care.”
“The magnitude of these gifts is not just the amount, they also reflect a shared vision with the Mission of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis,” said Tom Hammerton, President, OSF HealthCare Foundation. “The Sehrings and the Vonachens have committed to this vision with focused determination to see it through to fruition. Extraordinary philanthropy such as theirs is needed to make this vision a reality for the Peoria community and beyond.”
OSF HealthCare is committed to making Peoria a premier destination for world-class cancer care. As a regional destination center with the latest technology, one of the hallmarks will be proton beam therapy, which will be just the second center in Illinois, and one of only 32 in North America, treating patients with hard to reach cancers. In addition to proton beam and brachytherapy, the Comprehensive Cancer Center will feature an infusion center, patient education and support spaces, and a full range of cancer-related services. The timeline for construction will depend on philanthropic fundraising efforts, with a goal of providing the first treatments as early as 2023.
The $250 million project has a fundraising goal of $100 million. To learn more how you can share this vision, please contact Lanna Scannell, Strategic Philanthropy Officer, OSF HealthCare Foundation at (309) 566-5662 or lanna.m.scannell@osfhealthcare.org.
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs more than 23,600 Mission Partners in 147 locations, including 14 hospitals – ten acute care, four critical access – with 2,097 licensed beds, and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. More at https://www.osfhealthcare.org.
