“In establishing our College Scholarship Initiative we wanted to build on the Foundation’s ongoing investment in community-based programs in the Greater Boston area. Many of our grantee organizations play a key role in helping to motivate their high school participants to prepare for and apply to college. We know, however, that even after these youth are admitted to college many do not attend simply because it is not affordable. We hope our scholarship money will allow promising youth to continue on their road to success by removing significant financial barriers to college.”
- Ronny Zinner, President, Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation
Ashley Herman, great-grandaughter of Carl and Ruth Shapiro, cuts the ribbon at the dedication ceremony for the new Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
News & Events
Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation Support New State-of-the-Art Cardiovascular Center
July, 2008 -- The new Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital opened its doors in July 2008. Located at 75 Francis Street, it is the most advanced cardiovascular care facility in the world, designed to support one of the world’s leading teams of cardiovascular experts. The Center allows Brigham and Women’s Hospital to consolidate and co-locate expert staff and resources in one expanded location. Moreover, the Center will enhance patient care and convenience in a healing environment that supports both patients and their families. The building features 16 state-of-the-art operating suites, each able to accommodate next-generation minimally invasive technology, including robotic surgery, image-guided technology, and other advanced technology.
The 350,000 square foot Center will be the first hospital facility in New England to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certifications—otherwise known as a “green building.” The new building will be connected to the hospital’s existing campus through two lower levels and a transparent glass bridge over Francis Street.
Youth in the Arts Initiative
July, 2008 -- The Foundation is pleased to announce a new round of grants made in the Youth in the Arts Initiative. The Trustees approved 25 grants in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville totaling $527,000. For more information on the new grants, see the Youth in the Arts Initiative page.
Shapiro Family College Scholarship Initiative
June, 2008 -- The Foundation hosted a celebration at the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter to honor the inaugural class of Shapiro Family College Scholars on June 24th. In this first year, the Foundation awarded a total of nearly $150,000 in college scholarships to seventeen recent high school graduates. Each Scholar received a renewable four- year college scholarship of up to $12,000 annually. In addition to receiving financial assistance, all Shapiro Scholars will connect monthly with an advisor who will assist them with navigating the inevitable challenges they may face throughout their colleges years. The goal of the Shapiro Family College Scholarship is to help students attend and graduate from four-year colleges with minimal educational debt.
The Scholars, who will be attending colleges across the country, represent promising, accomplished Boston young people who have demonstrated the motivation and potential to be successful in a four-year college. In order to be eligible for the scholarship youth needed to be nominated by organizations funded through the Shapiro Family Foundation’s Youth in the Arts, Empowerment and Disability Inclusion Initiatives. This year’s Scholars participated in a range of excellent Boston organizations including Artists for Humanity, Piers Park Sailing, Hyde Square Task Force, West End House, ZUMIX, and Summer Search. Click here to learn more about the Shapiro Family College Scholarship Initiative.
Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation Donates $15 million to Boston Medical Center
June, 2008 -- The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation has pledged $15 million to the Boston Medical Center (BMC) to support a part of its Building the New BMC facilities expansion plan; including the new 245,000-square-foot ambulatory care center The Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Ambulatory Care Center.
Building the New BMC will be a major multi-year capital expansion project that will create approximately 500,000 square feet of new clinical space to consolidate services, upgrade and expand services and improve access to care. To support and fund the effort, the hospital anticipates launching a major capital campaign.
The nine-story Ambulatory Care Center will be located at the corner of East Concord and Albany streets and will provide outpatient care. Experiencing consistent annual growth in patient volume, existing facilities are no longer adequate to meet the increasing demand for services.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, BMC Board Chair Marshall Carter and BMC Board Vice Chair Alan Solomont joined BMC President and CEO Elaine Ullian and hundreds of BMC physicians, nurses, staff and supporters for the announcement of the donation in early June. “We are deeply grateful to the Shapiro Family for their generosity,” Ullian said. “This gift will have a lasting impact on our patients and the care they receive and will ensure that we continue to provide exceptional care without exception.”
“Our family is very pleased to be making this investment in Boston Medical Center and the people of our city,” said Ronny Zinner, President of the Shapiro Family Foundation. “Over the years we have come to know much more about the critical role that BMC plays in caring for the underserved and underprivileged in our community.
“In our estimation BMC is doing an extraordinary job fulfilling its mission of providing “exceptional care without exception” for so many Bostonians, Zinner said.
New Support for the Dana-Farber / Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center
March, 2008 -- As part of the foundation's committment to improve healthcare The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation has pledged $27 million to Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center in Boston to substantially upgrade and expand its facilities for cancer care services.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital jointly operate the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, a national leader in cancer care. The Shapiro gift will make possible the renovation of several patient floors into a state of the art facility for cancer care and surgical services offering "comfort to patients as well as resources and support to their families." A portion of the gift also will underwrite a floor in the new Yawkey Center for Cancer Care and establish a new Shapiro Center for Patients and Families, both at Dana-Farber.
This gift will help make possible the eighth floor of the 275,000 square foot Yawkey Center for Cancer Care at Dana-Farber (slated to open in 2011) which will house chemotherapy infusion, medical examination, and other essential medical services. In addition, the Shapiro Center for Patient and Family Services will serve as a gateway to a wide range of specialized resources available at Dana-Farber, some of which will be located or delivered throughout the Institute.
Disability Inclusion Initiative
March, 2008 -- The Trustees of the Carl and Ruth Shapio Family Foundation approved twenty-four grants in the latest round of the Disability Inclusion Initiative. The grants, totaling $690,000 support organizations throughout the Greater Boston area. For more information on the new grants, see the Disability Inclusion Initiative page.