Pamela and Edward Taft’s philosophy of philanthropy has been evident from their earliest gift to El Camino Hospital Foundation and continues to guide them today. They enthusiastically embrace creative approaches to fundraising for worthwhile programs, with the hope and expectation that their leadership will inspire others to follow. They look for opportunities that others might miss, but that leverage the strength of the institution they support. And they believe strongly in contributing to the community in which they live.
Following these principles, the Tafts have made several gifts that have contributed significantly to the development of El Camino Hospital programs, among them palliative care; health care for the underserved at the RotaCare Clinic, when it was located on the Mountain View campus; cancer services, including the Pamela and Edward Taft Healing Space; and the purchase of the first da Vinci surgical robot, which put in place the early infrastructure for what has grown into a leading regional robotic-assisted surgery program. Their lead gift to El Camino Hospital Foundation’s 2005 Imagine Campaign for programs and services to be housed in the new patient tower set the pace for the generous community support that followed. Their challenge gifts to the annual Sapphire Soirée gala benefit have done the same, although in a different way.
In 2011, Pamela and Edward made a substantial donation to establish a unique, community hospital-based clinical research program. The Taft Center for Clinical Research was founded at the Fogarty Institute for Innovation, which developed and operated the program for several years before it was transferred to the hospital. The program provides the resources and infrastructure needed to support the investigators and study teams involved in clinical research. It gives patients and the community access to medical advancements and new treatments for heart disease, lung disease, cancer and other conditions based on the latest findings.
“We both believe it is important to give in your community,” Pamela said in 2005, as she explained the couple’s reasons for initially getting involved. “A hospital is a place we all may need one day for ourselves or close friends or family members.” The Taft’s history of giving continues to inspire as the impact of their generosity is felt every day at El Camino Hospital.
