AbbVie Continues Charitable Giving, Donates $50 Million to St. Jude

Christmas came a little early for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in the form of a $50 million contribution from pharma giant AbbVie – the largest single contribution made to the famed hospital. The multi-million donation will be used to support the construction of a new Family Commons on the Memphis, Tenn. campus. This will be the first facility of its kind at St. Jude. AbbVie said it is designed to be an “entirely treatment-free floor that will offer spaces for families to relax, recover and connect” in a centralized location on the campus. Also, the $50 million gifts will allow St. Jude to transform is physical space by adding walking paths, gardens and a playground designed for the children undergoing treatment for a variety of serious diseases, as well as their siblings.
AbbVie’s $50 million will cover construction costs for the Family Commons and outdoor space, as well as five year's worth of operational costs for both. The Family Commons area is scheduled to open in 2020. “Families need to be able to take a break during one of the most difficult times of their lives, and that's why we're committing to create spaces—both indoor and outdoor—for families to be together,” Laura Schumacher, executive vice president, external affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary at AbbVie, said in a statement. Richard Shadyac Jr., president, and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, praised AbbVie for its donation. He said this was the largest single donation in this history of St. Jude.