Sandy and Joan Weill Give $1 Million To Sonoma Valley Hospital; Gift Brings Fundraising Drive For New Wing Closer To Goal

October 14, 2013

Sonoma Valley Hospital announced it has received a $1 million gift from the Weill Family Foundation as the hospital enters the final stage of fundraising for its new wing, scheduled for completion in November. Sanford “Sandy” Weill, a well-known banker, financier and philanthropist, and his wife Joan, have a home in Sonoma.

“This is a tremendous boost for the community as we enter the final stretch of our campaign,” said Gary Nelson, co-chair of the hospital’s Capital Campaign for Emergency Care. “Sandy and Joan’s generous $1 million gift, along with other recent donations, brings the campaign total to $10.4 million. We are now counting on the community to take us over the top in the weeks ahead and help us reach our $11 million goal. With broad support, we will have the new Emergency and Surgery Centers paid for by the time we open the doors. The Weill gift, along with the gifts of many others, is indicative of the support from new arrivals to ‘old timers’ who understand the critical importance of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Emergency Room.”

“Joan and I love Sonoma and want to show our commitment to this great community, which has welcomed us so warmly,” said Sandy Weill. “We believe having a good local hospital is essential and we want to help Sonoma create a modern Emergency Center that will be an asset for the entire Sonoma Valley.”

Sandy Weill is a former chief executive officer and chairman of Citigroup. He and his wife of 58 years, Joan, have owned a home in Sonoma since 2010. In 2011, they made a transformative gift to Sonoma State University, providing the funds to complete the Donald and Maureen Green Music Center concert hall. Weill was elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012, and he and Joan were recipients of the 2009 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Award for their outstanding charitable work.

The Sonoma Valley Hospital Capital Campaign for Emergency Care is raising funds to close the gap between the $35 million general obligation bond (GOB) approved by Sonoma voters in 2008 to meet the State of California seismic standards, and the cost of the new construction and equipment, which is adding a new state-of-the-art Emergency Center and Surgery Center to the hospital.

The hospital has announced that it will formally introduce the new wing to the community on November 16 with a day-long open house and celebration planned. The new Emergency Center is scheduled to begin receiving patients by mid-December.

For more information about the campaign, contact Harmony Plenty at 707.935.5070 or hplenty@sonomavalleyhospital.org.