Catalyst Award: Richard and Annette Bloch Family Foundation

Linda Lyon: The foundation started after my father, who was told he had three months to live when he was diagnosed with lung cancer, went down to MD Anderson to a doctor who said, "I'm going to make you very sick, but I think that I can save you. And if I do, I want you to work for cancer.

Jennifer Markey: That's really where it kind of started. And I've seen it since I was a little girl, just the amount of generosity that they have shown.

Tammy Peterman: I think People always think of the Bloch Family Foundation as giving only to our cancer program. Actually the very first gift that they gave the health system, which was in 2005, they gave to our cardiac program.

Linda Lyon: My father was treated aggressively with chemotherapy. After about 20 years, he started having issues with heart failure.

Bob Page: Annette believed in us enough to not only bring Dick here for his care, but then she got her care with us. You talk about a testament, there's nothing, I think, stronger than when somebody looks at you and says, "I trust you with my life."

Linda Lyon: She wanted to make a difference in people's lives, and she liked doing things in a big way.

Jeff Wright: The Bloch Family in 2008 came to the Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion and Annette stood up at the podium.

Annette Bloch: There are a lot of you here who know how much I love this hospital.

Jeff Wright: And she made an announcement.

Annette Bloch: I am so excited, pleased, and proud to announce that I'm giving a donation of $20 million

Bob Page: And I will never forget that because I never expected it. None of us did. And here is this little tiny powerful woman grabs the mic and says, I'm going to make this donation, and we were all speechless.

Linda Lyon: She actually didn't even tell me about it because the amount that she was thinking about, I'm more a little bit like my father than she is and I probably would've said, "That's wonderful. I'm not sure about 20 million." But she did, which was absolutely the right thing to do

Jeff Wright: And that was really a catalyst event for us because we were pursuing our NCI designation.

Speaker 7: Congratulations

Jeff Wright: And Annette Bloch knew that making this gift will help support this really significant journey that we continue to be on.

Bob Page: Their donations of millions of dollars to this organization that have allowed us to do things we never thought were possible.

Tammy Peterman: They've been generous with their time. They've been generous with their resources. They've connected personally, professionally. They have made an impact on our staff.

Gloria Solis: The impact is incredible. Knowing that we have the support of this foundation has really led to our ability to recruit and retain talented nurses, and I would have to say the best oncology nurses in the country.

Jennifer Markey: I think that anybody that can get treated here is very lucky because of the resources we have. It's a great place to work. It's a great place to be treated.

Jeff Wright: She was always telling us that, "Jeff, this isn't about the four walls of a cancer center. It's always about the people you have here." At the end of the day, that's what makes a difference in cancer care and she knew that and told us that very regularly.

Gloria Solis: That just almost makes me cry because I just don't know if there'll ever be another. Annette. She was just totally amazing.

Bob Page: I think of the kiss marks that she would leave on my head when we would have these celebrations because I go, oh my gosh. And then I couldn't wash, right? I had to keep it on my forehead all event. We had created such a good relationship, but it wasn't just Annette and me, it was really Annette in our entire organization and that's what makes this so special.

Tammy Peterman: We are forever grateful for the unbelievable support our organization has received from this entire family.

Jeff Wright: My sense is they'd be so proud of what we have here in Kansas City, fulfilling what I believe was their dream.

Speaker 9: Congratulations.

Gloria Solis: We are very honored to be a part of your legacy.

Jennifer Markey: I love what my grandparents have been able to do and hopefully it just continues to grow and grow.

Linda Lyon: When you give to an organization that you feel really good about and when the money goes towards something that you feel really good about, there's no better feeling, really.