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Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Celebrates Expansion
Growth Supported by $9.3 Million Grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  (July 30, 2010) – The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute will celebrate the completion of its 300,000-square-foot, 12-story expansion on Friday, July 30, at 10:30 a.m.. The expansion – which will increase the space for clinical, research, education, and community outreach programs – was made possible in part by a 2007 grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation of $9.3 million, the largest single grant ever awarded by the Foundation.  

In addition, a separate grant of $3 million from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in 2006 supported the creation of a permanent endowment for two professorships to lead the leukemia and lymphoma program at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

Both grants honor the late Lt. Governor Winthrop P. Rockefeller, son of former Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, who died in 2006 at age 57 from myeloproliferative disease, a blood disorder related to leukemia. At the time of his death, he was serving his 10th year as Arkansas’ lieutenant governor.

“The expansion of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute will serve as a living tribute to the memory of our former vice-chairman of the board, Winthrop P. Rockefeller, whose commitment to improving the lives of Arkansans was evident throughout his life,” Dr. Sherece West, president and CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, said. “Studies have shown that a disproportionate number of Arkansans suffer from cancer compared with the U.S. population as a whole. The Foundation’s gift will help make comprehensive treatment for leukemia and lymphoma more accessible to all Arkansans and those seeking treatment worldwide.”

The Foundation’s grants supporting the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute will help address research objectives such as increased knowledge in the care and biology of leukemia and lymphoma, and development of a research program that will drive the future diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of leukemia and lymphoma in Arkansas, the region, and beyond.

Specifically, the expanded Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute will:

• Increase lymphoma and leukemia programs with a full range of treatment, from diagnosis to cure.
• Offer chemotherapy, vaccine therapy, radiation therapy, gene therapy, and cellular therapies.
• Offer specialized training and education to health care professionals and students in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.

About the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
For 35 years, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has worked to make a difference by helping to build and sustain the organizations that serve and strengthen Arkansas. Through grantmaking and strategic partnerships, we are working even harder to help close the economic and educational gaps that leave too many Arkansas families in persistent poverty.  Working together, the needle can and must move from poverty to prosperity for all Arkansans.  For more information on the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, go to www.wrfoundation.org.

Contact:
Dr. Sherece West
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
(501) 376-6854
swest@wrfoundation.org