DOWNEY — Rancho Los Amigos Foundation, the non-profit provider for many of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center’s patient programs, celebrated its broad range of donors and philanthropists at its Donor Recognition event last evening with a champagne reception at the hospital.

Several years of dedicated Foundation donors were recognized, a testament to the strong sense of community and shared commitment. These included hospital employee payroll deductions amounting to $400,000, Tree of Life sponsors totaling $75,000, and Las Floristas of USC with over $3,000,000 in donations exclusively for pediatric programs.

“These contributions have been invaluable, and we are deeply grateful for their support”, Chris Cara, Foundation Board Treasurer.

The highlight of the evening was the announcement of a game-changing multimillion-dollar gift to the Foundation for patient programs by The Edith Gillespie Trust. The Foundation Board president, David Kantar of Financial Partners Credit Union, and Debbora Arroya former Executive Director and an executive at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center were initially stunned and overwhelmed with pure joy at the news.

David shared, “It was almost unimaginable to read the letter from Edith’s Trust attorney after Deborah shared the news with me. We were numb for about a week before fully grasping such a gift’s incredible opportunity and responsibility. Edith’s gift will propel the Foundation to grow and excel in program offerings for our patients and their families, restoring hope and enabling them to learn new abilities in their road ahead.”

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center CEO, Aries Limbaga, Deborah Arroyo, Chief Engagement & Diversity Officer, and Michele Berro, Occupational Therapy Clinical Manager, worked tirelessly to rename one of Edith’s treasured programs at Rancho to The Edith Gillespie Driving Program. Their dedication and commitment to honoring Edith were evident and they were delighted to share this with all in attendance.

For more on the work of The Rancho Los Amigos Foundation, to learn about Edith Gillespie, or learn more on how you can volunteer, they invite you to visit the Foundation website at www.ranchofoundation.org Your interest and support are crucial to their mission.