USC Arcadia Hospital leadership and staff celebrate a gift to the hospital from The Midgley Foundation alongside Board Chair Alan Whitman and Board Member Amy Whitman Richardson. [photo credit: Keck Medicine of USC]
The Pasadena-based Midgley Foundation will be honored Saturday evening, Oct. 3, at the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation’s 37th annual Crystal Ball, a black-tie fundraising gala at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave.
The foundation is being recognized for its philanthropic support of advanced imaging equipment, nursing excellence and USC Arcadia Hospital’s effort to earn Magnet recognition for nursing, according to a Sept. 11 announcement from Keck Medicine of USC, the health system that includes the hospital.
Proceeds from the gala support what the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation calls the hospital’s “Greatest Needs.” Organizers describe the Crystal Ball as the Foundation’s signature fundraising event. According to organizers, the evening includes dinner, dancing and a paddle raise. The Foundation says the program will also celebrate honorees, highlight the hospital’s care programs and technology, and include entertainment.
Keck Medicine’s announcement identifies Alan Whitman as board chair of the Midgley Foundation. The other board members named in the announcement are Amy Richardson, Eric Lax and Spencer Walch.
The Midgley Foundation was established by Stanley and Constance Midgley, longtime residents of La Cañada Flintridge, according to the announcement. Stanley Midgley trained as a chemist and later worked as a travelogue filmmaker and lecturer. Constance Midgley served as a supervising nurse in Great Britain during World War II, the announcement said.
“They loved the outdoors and believed in healthy communities and understood the importance of preserving both,” Whitman said in the announcement.
Sandra Chen Lau, president of the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation, said in the same announcement, “It is fitting that we are showing our gratitude and honoring them at our gala this year.”
Keck Medicine describes the Midgley Foundation as a longtime supporter of USC Arcadia Hospital. The hospital plans to apply for Magnet recognition by 2028, according to the announcement.
The Magnet Recognition Program is administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which says the designation recognizes organizations whose nursing leaders align nursing strategic goals to improve patient outcomes. The center describes the application process as thorough and lengthy. Keck Medicine credits Colleen Wilcoxen, the hospital’s vice president and chief nursing officer, with securing philanthropic support for the hospital’s Magnet effort.
The hospital reported in 2019 that the Crystal Ball had generated more than $9 million over its history. That year’s 30th annual gala sought $1 million for a second biplane imaging system.
The gala has been held in Pasadena before. The 32nd annual Crystal Ball, in 2021, took place at the Pasadena Convention Center and raised $780,000, which the hospital’s foundation, then known as the Methodist Hospital Foundation, said at the time was a record.
The 33rd annual gala, in 2022, honored longtime hospital supporter Paul Rusnak and supported the hospital’s robotic surgery program, according to a sponsor’s announcement at the time. The 35th annual gala, in 2024, honored the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, according to USC.
Last year’s 36th annual gala, also held at The Langham, honored neurologist Kenneth Wogensen and raised more than $1 million in gross proceeds for advanced technology and surgical services, according to Keck Medicine.
USC Arcadia Hospital, at 300 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia, is a 348-licensed-bed community hospital serving the San Gabriel Valley, according to the hospital. It was founded in 1903 as Methodist Hospital of Southern California by the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church, beginning with five beds in a two-story house on Hewitt Street in downtown Los Angeles. Methodist Hospital reopened on its Arcadia campus in 1957. The hospital joined Keck Medicine of USC and took its current name on July 1, 2022. Ikenna “Ike” Mmeje is its president and CEO.
The California attorney general conditionally approved the hospital’s affiliation with USC in June 2022. The conditions included $200.7 million in capital investment by USC Health System over five years, along with at least $3.7 million annually in free care and $39.6 million annually in community-benefit programs for at least five years.
Richard Bukata, M.D., chairs the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation’s 2026 Board. The Foundation’s other 2026 officers include Chair-elect Karen Dongyun Zhang, Treasurer Douglas Van Kirk, Secretary Sherry Wang and immediate past Chair Grace Huang, M.D. The 19-member Crystal Ball committee includes Shirley Chi, M.D.; Jay Jaramillo; Patty Nijjar; Dino and Hope Clarizio; Grace Huang, M.D.; Rebecca Iglesias; and Ken Wogensen, M.D.
The Foundation has held federal tax-exempt status since October 1979. For fiscal year 2025, which ended in June, it reported revenue of $5.24 million, including $4.37 million in contributions, along with expenses of $4.27 million and net assets of $29.13 million, according to its federal tax return.
Questions about the event may be directed to Laura Scarano, the Foundation’s director of constituents giving, at laura.scarano@med.usc.edu.
The Langham Huntington, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena.
