Papanicolaou Corps Gives $2.25 Million to Sylvester Cancer Center

Papanicolaou Corps Gives $2.25 Million to Sylvester Cancer Center

A Commitment to a Cure

ontinuing an unprecedented tradition of generosity, the Papanicolaou Corps for Cancer Research announced a gift of $2.25 million to the UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center last May. The 14,000-member organization has pledged to raise $10 million over five years. “We are very pleased to present this donation,” says Gloria Berkowitz, president of the Pap Corps, a volunteer group with members across three counties that has supported cancer research at the University for 52 years. “Everyone is affected by cancer in one way or another. Many of our members are cancer survivors. Our members know the value of cancer research, and we are all very proud to be able to contribute to this most important cause.”

The leadership of the Pap Corps presented a check to UM/Sylvester Director W. Jarrard Goodwin, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Board of Governors Chair Joaquin F. Blaya during a luncheon at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. “Looking back on the rich history of the Pap Corps there is no doubt that they have left an indelible mark on our community, one that will continue to have a positive impact for years to come,” Goodwin said.

UM/Sylvester Associate Director of Clinical and Translational Research Joseph D. Rosenblatt, M.D., and Miller School of Medicine Dean John G. Clarkson, M.D. ’68, were also on hand. “Research cures cancer, and no group works harder than the Pap Corps to support that effort,” says Rosenblatt. “The work we do at UM/ Sylvester would not be possible without their loyal support.”

The ongoing commitment of the Pap Corps funds critical research at UM/Sylvester, including work in tumor immunology, cancer cell biology, and genetics. The group has also helped fund investigations of melanoma and ovarian cancer, and new diagnostic tools for a variety of cancers at South Florida’s only university-based cancer center.

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Cleary and Thoroughbred Industry Support Miami Project

A Transformational Opportunity

wise philosopher once observed, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity while the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” Robin Cleary is a person who sees an opportunity to help find a cure for paralysis and free thousands from the confinement and limitations of their wheelchairs. Her goal is quite simple: “To tell my story to every person and organization until we have raised enough money to free everyone from their wheelchairs.”

Cleary, a trainer, was left paralyzed from an accident while galloping horses at Calder Race Course eight years ago. Despite the devastating injury that left her a quadriplegic, Cleary did not give up. “The accident provided me with a choice: either to let the injury dictate the way I might spend the remainder of my life, or do something about it,” she says. “I truly believe that what I’m doing is making a difference as researchers and physicians at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis move closer to a cure.”

Cleary’s specific interest in The Miami Project rests in the organization’s total commitment to finding more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for paralysis. “When I learned that Dr. Dietrich (scientific director) was expanding The Miami Project’s regeneration research programs, I knew I needed to become actively involved,” she says. With the help and encouragement of her husband and fellow trainer Brian, she went from track to track, jockey to jockey, and trainer to trainer, sharing her life-altering experience and urging the horse industry to help others afflicted with spinal cord injuries.

Cleary has raised nearly $600,000 over the past eight years from the thoroughbred industry. Although many of her friends and associates refer to her as a hero, Cleary is quick to dismiss the notion. “I don’t consider myself a hero. I am just trying to do the best with the resources I can draw from,” she says. “If I didn’t have the support of the horse business and the horse racing community, I would never have been able to raise this amount of money.”

In the past year Cleary has been able to use a robotic walking system, which simulates the walking motion. “That was the most exhilarating feeling I had since my injury eight years ago,” she says.

Although Cleary has a conference room named after her in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, she really only has one wish: to get out of her wheelchair and walk again. “I hope I don’t have to raise another half million dollars before that day finally arrives,” she says.

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The Kennedy Family Foundation

A Tradition of Helping

“Unless we give part of ourselves away, unless we can live with other people and understand them and help them, we are missing the most essential part of our own human lives.”
— Harold Taylor, former president, Sarah Lawrence College

his philosophy has been the guiding light and principal motivation of The Ethel and W. George Kennedy Family Foundation, a private Coral Gables-based family foundation created in 1968.

Following the death of his wife, Ethel, W. George Kennedy established the foundation in her memory. During the course of their lifetimes, the Kennedys were committed to improving the quality of life in Miami-Dade County. Today the foundation continues the tradition of giving for a variety of purposes and projects, mainly focusing on children.

Although George Kennedy died in 1986, the foundation’s work is carried on by four of the couple’s six adopted children. “They set a standard for us,” explains Kathleen Kennedy-Olsen, the foundation’s managing director. Sister Kimberly Kennedy adds, “Considering where our father came from, growing up poor and becoming a self-made man, he lived in those situations and understood what it was like to experience poverty. I think he never forgot those early roots and wanted to help others.”

Born in Canada, George Kennedy came to Miami in the early 1920s and made his fortune in land development, insurance, and banking. He met his future wife, Ethel, when she answered an ad for a position at his insurance agency.

The importance of philanthropy was instilled in all six children of different nationalities whom the Kennedys adopted as babies. Kennedy-Olsen says her parents, who were in their 50s, would have adopted more, but her mother’s illness prevented that. “Ever since we were small, the spirit and concept of giving to others was an important part of our lives. I remember as a child going to this one house and delivering a box of canned goods and a turkey to a family. It was a wonderful feeling to see the excitement and happiness of the parents and kids in this tiny house,” she recalls.

Today the foundation is operated by four of the children, Kathleen Kennedy-Olsen, Kimberly Kennedy, Karyn Kennedy Herterich, and Kendel Kennedy. It’s among the 20 largest charitable foundations in Miami-Dade County, with nearly $26 million in assets and annual grants totaling $1.5 million.

The foundation’s relationship with the Miller School of Medicine goes back decades. Ethel Kennedy helped organize the Papanicolaou Corps for Cancer Research. Over the years the foundation has supported UM’s Center for Research in Medical Education, Department of Pediatrics, including the Pediatric Mobile Clinic and pediatric cardiology programs, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and the Center for Family Studies. All told, the foundation has funded nearly $2.5 million in University-affiliated programs.

Michael Gordon, M.D., associate dean and director, Center for Research in Medical Education, was George Kennedy’s physician 25 years ago. “George Kennedy was a gent. I remember telling him of our needs for cardiology training at the University of Miami. The next day a large donation was received,” Gordon affectionately recalls.

“Since George passed away, his children, the trustees of his foundation, have been equally generous. They constructed the George and Ethel Kennedy Emergency Medical Skills Training Center, where we train thousands of vitally needed emergency personnel each year,” Gordon adds. “The Kennedy family members are our partners and our friends.”

The Kennedy daughters note that their parents left them with a legacy to do good in the world. “Our parents were from a generation and time of elegance, style, and class,” Kennedy-Olsen says. “They believed in doing the right thing for the right reason.”

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