Children’s Hospital gets $65 million gift

Seattle Children’s on Monday announced two philanthropic gifts totaling $65 million to benefit pediatric research, nursing education and clinical care.

Seattle Children’s on Monday announced two philanthropic gifts totaling $65 million to benefit pediatric research, nursing education and clinical care.

An anonymous donor pledged approximately $50 million of their estate – the largest single gift in Children’s 104-year history – to benefit pediatric research at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

In addition, Jean Reid of Bellevue made gift commitments valuing approximately $15 million to support Children’s Bellevue Urgent Care Clinic, the advanced training of nurses, and the greatest needs of Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center.

In recognition of Reid’s commitment, the Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center will be named the “Robert and Jean Reid Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center” in honor of her and her late husband.

“We are ecstatic,” said Jim Ladd, chair of Seattle Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees. “Children’s has always relied on the community to sustain its mission of caring for all children and finding cures and better treatments. These gifts help ensure Children’s can continue this critical work.”

The $50 million donation will benefit the greatest needs fund, which enables the Research Institute to provide critical infrastructure, recruit and retain scientists, and invest in early stage medical treatments for childhood disease.

Earlier this year, Reid pledged $1 million for the staffing needs of the Urgent Care Clinic at Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center. She most recently made an additional estate pledge valuing approximately $14 million to endow the greatest needs of Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center and to support the continuing education of the hospital’s nurses. Of Reid’s estate pledge, 25 percent will support nurses’ advanced training needs while 75 percent will fund clinical care priorities of Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center.

Robert and Jean Reid have previously supported scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Washington School of Nursing. They also donated to the University of Washington School of Nursing to establish the school’s first endowed deanship: the Robert G. and Jean A. Reid Endowed Deanship in Nursing.

Robert Reid, who passed away in January 2011, was a leader in the construction industry on the Eastside and was active in forming the city of Bellevue.