Dancing for Our Stars Sponsor Party Reveals and Celebrates Construction Progress Of Todd Cancer Pavilion at Long Beach Memorial

Jim Normandin, president, Memorial Medical Center Foundation, Tamra Kaplan, Chief Operating Officer, Long Beach Memorial, Doug Todd, son of Malcolm C. Todd, founder of the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute, and Cathy Kopy, Executive Director of the Todd Cancer Institute, were all thrilled with the outcome of the Dancing For Our Stars Sponsor Party and the impressive construction headway of the Todd Cancer Pavilion.

Long Beach Memorial gathered its most generous program sponsors at the site of the future 64,000 sq. ft. Todd Cancer Pavilion to reveal and celebrate its construction advancement. The Pavilion will soon be a dedicated cancer facility to house the many cancer programs and cancer support services of the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute (TCI), giving patients access to all they need under one roof. Among those in attendance of this exclusive preview were esteemed TCI medical directors, Doug Todd — the son of Malcolm C. Todd, founder of the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute — and the anticipated cast of “Dancing for Our Stars,” the annual Memorial Medical Center Foundation gala which will use all proceeds to benefit the cancer diagnosis, individualized treatment and research of TCI. Those invited to this exclusive event saw the impressive construction progress firsthand. On hand to celebrate this milestone — a home for the TCI cancer programs and cancer support services that give patients and their families’ access to all they need under one roof — was Cathy Kopy, executive director, Todd Cancer Institute, Long Beach Memorial, who noted that the unfinished building in which attendees stood would soon become “a place that will provide comfort and quality care for our patients in a warm and healing environment.” After a brief description of each dedicated Pavilion floor, dancer pairs of the Dancing for Our Stars gala were entertainingly revealed. Each year, at the “Dancing for Our Stars” gala, six community members are paired with professional dancers or their significant other to entertain the audience and compete in a dance competition all while supporting a great cause. This gala is unique because funds are not raised through live and silent auctions, but by collecting votes from the crowd. Last year this charitable event netted more than $250,000 for the MemorialCare Center for Women at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach and Long Beach Memorial. “We were thrilled to have so many generous board members, hospital donors and Todd Cancer Institute supporters come out to marvel at the Pavilion’s progress and cheer on their favorite dancer for our upcoming Dancing for Our Stars Gala,” says Jim Normandin, president, Memorial Medical Center Foundation. “Proceeds from this one-of-a-kind event will provide life-saving technology to patients and their families seeking cancer treatment at the renowned MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Memorial.” Once completed, this new state-of-the-art cancer pavilion will increase TCI’s capacity allowing medical professionals to serve more patients and to provide leading-edge clinical treatment, research and psychosocial care. McCarthy Building Companies, general contractor for the project, is working to transform the second and third floors of the existing four-level administration building into a dedicated cancer center. The project also includes construction of a two-level, 1,913-square-foot lobby addition which will serve as the entrance to the new pavilion. The finished Pavilion will enhance the strong reputation of the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute for cancer diagnosis, individualized treatment and research. The MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute (TCI) at Long Beach Memorial is dedicated to the early diagnosis, treatment, research and education of patients with cancer or serious blood disorders. Through interdisciplinary treatment planning conferences, TCI specialists develop specialized treatment plans suited to the specific needs of each patient. As one of the largest cancer centers in Southern California, TCI treats more than 1,800 newly diagnosed patients a year. TCI was awarded the National HCIA-Sachs Award for being one of the top two centers with the lowest complication rates of any cancer program in the Southland.