Children's Hospital Campus to be Renamed Thanks to Transformational Capital Gift
ren's Hospital Campus will be renamed the
Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children. The announcement was made today as
part of the public launch of a major capital campaign in support of the
pediatric medical center's proposed expansion facility.
Ben and Luanne Russell have pledged $25 million in support of Children's
Hospital. The gift, the largest in the history of Children's Hospital, is part
of the $100 million 'Keeping Promises' Capital Campaign to help build a new
facility on the hospital's downtown Birmingham campus. The new facility and
campus will be named for Mr. Russell's grandfather Benjamin Russell
(1876-1941). Mr. Ben, as he was known to all, was the early patriarch of the
Russell family and a legendary entrepreneur who began many of the businesses
that later generations of the Russell family have grown over the years. The
Russell family has provided jobs and economic prosperity for thousands of
Alabamians and their work has enhanced the beauty of the State dramatically.
The announcement was made by Children's Health System CEO, Mike Warren.
'Ben and Luanne Russell's magnificent act of generosity is made by an
extraordinary family and great friends of Alabama's children and Children's
Hospital,' said Warren. 'Generations of Alabama children will benefit
immeasurably from the new facilities and technologies that this and other
transformational gifts will provide.'
Speaking on behalf of his family, Ben Russell, Chairman of the Board of
Russell Lands, said: 'Luanne and I have long supported children's activities
in this State through Children's Harbor, Children's Harbor Family Center at
Children's Hospital and through my work as a member of the Board of Trustees
of Children's Hospital for the past 10 years. We are pleased to be able to
honor the memory of my grandfather, Benjamin Russell, by making this
leadership gift which will result in the Children's Hospital campus bearing
his name. Mr. Ben did much for this State and its people. This gift is one
way Luanne and I can recognize his contributions.'
The name-change announcement was made after the regularly scheduled board
meeting and in conjunction with the launching of the public phase of the
Capital Campaign, which is set to raise $100 million in pledges as part of the
hospital's celebration of its 100th anniversary in 2011.
