Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, California has received a $20 million donation from philanthropists Priscilla Hunt and the late Donald G. Hunt, the hospital announced last week.
It is the largest donation ever given to the Catholic not-for-profit hospital and will be used to support Little Company of Mary’s Cardiovascular Center of Excellence Campaign, according to a press release.
The philanthropic couple has made meaningful legacy donations to hospitals in the past, including a $13.5 million donation to Torrance Memorial Medical Center in 2011, the largest donation in the hospital’s history that time.
“The Hunts believe that everyone in our community deserves access to the highest quality health care, and this generous gift ensures that South Bay residents will continue to receive world-class cardiovascular care right here in the community,” Sean Armstrong, the hospital’s chairman, said in a statement.
In previous interviews, Mrs. Hunt said that they give major donations to hospitals because they help all members of the community. For Torrance Memorial, she said that they had friends and family members who succumbed to cancer.
“So it’s personal,” she told South Bay Magazine. “I would like them to find a cure for cancer.”
The Cardiovascular Center of Excellence Campaign is investing in a $35 million renovation and new patient care rooms. The hospital’s Heritage Tower will be renamed the Donald & Priscilla Hunt Tower as a result of the gift, Little Company of Mary said.
“This extraordinary gift to Providence Little Company of Mary is an inspiring demonstration of how donors throughout the years have transformed this hospital through their generosity,” Armstrong added.
Aside from The Torrance Memorial Hospital and The Little Company of Mary, Priscilla Hunt and husband Donald’s philanthropic efforts have benefited institutions such as The Salvation Army, Feed the Children and the USC Marshall Business School, among others.
The Donald and Priscilla Hunt Cancer Institute and the Donald and Priscilla Hunt Nuclear Medicine Center at Torrance Memorial Hospital were unveiled in September 2014, in recognition of the couple’s generosity, and are housed within the new Patient Tower.
Donald Hunt passed away last February at the age of 96. His wife Priscilla, born to a political family in the Philippines, is currently President/CEO Hunt Enterprises, a company that develops and manages high-quality residential communities, including commercial and industrial facilities throughout Southern California.
