Biographies - Lois Pope
Lois B. Pope, Co-Founder and Chairman Lois PopeIn 1998, Lois Pope joined forces with DAV National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson and the late Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown to create the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation. It is her fondest wish to honor the more than three million living disabled veterans, including 53,000 recently disabled veterans who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as all of those throughout American history. The American Veterans Disabled for LIFE Memorial is scheduled to be completed and dedicated in 2011. Mrs. Pope and the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation have contributed $8,600,000, approximately 10% of the Memorial's total cost.One of Americas leading philanthropists since 1992, Mrs. Pope and her private charitable foundations have provided awards for medical research, scholarships, summer camp programs, humanitarian relief, the performing arts, and animal welfare. Programs include: * Unsung Hero Scholarships: $25,000 medical scholarships are awarded each year to four academically deserving, community service oriented and financially needy inner city students who are attending medical school at the City College of New York (CCNY). * Guatemala Water Project: Working with the Center for Environmental Studies at Florida Atlantic University, $100,000 was donated to create a new clean-water system for the village of El Triunfo in Guatemala after it was devastated by Hurricane Mitch. * The Lois Pope LIFE Center: In 1998, $10 million was donated to the University of Miami to establish the Lois Pope LIFE Center, the top catastrophic neurological research facility in the world, home of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. * International Achievement Award: Established in 1999, the Lois Pope LIFE International Achievement Award honors outstanding scientists who have made possible significant medical breakthroughs. The honor, which comes with a $100,000 research award, is presented annually by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and has awarded $1,700,000 since its inception. * Sudan Genocide Response Team: The Community of Sudanese American Women/Men (CSAW), which organized the Sudan Genocide Response Team, receives a $50,000 annual grant from the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation to help young refugee women in the Sudan who have been displaced due to war and are at high risk. The grant helps these young women migrate to America and find new lives in a free society. * Ambulances for MDA: Mrs. Pope and the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation have for many years supported the work of Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's Red Cross. Collaborating with friends and colleagues, Mrs. Pope has been instrumental in donating five ambulances. * Lois Pope Pet Mobile: In 2006, the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation made a $250,000 donation to purchase and retrofit The Peggy Adams Animal Rescue Lois Pope Pet Mobile. The Lois Pope Pet Mobile has helped to significantly increase adoptions of cats and dogs throughout Palm Beach County. * The Cedars of Marin: Mrs. Pope and the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation have donated $3,200,000 to build a residence hall at Cedars of Marin to support their programs for developmentally disabled adults. In honor of her late husband, the facility in Marin, California will soon be renamed The Generoso Pope, Jr. Campus. Mrs. Pope is also the founder and President of Leaders In Furthering Education (LIFE), a 501(c)(3) public charity. LIFE raises funds through events such as The Lady In Red Gala, Exclusive Wine Auction & Dinner, and Golf Tournament. Over the past 15 years, LIFE's most significant donations include over $2,000,000 to the Summer Camp program, $900,000 to college scholarships, $240,000 to Palm Beach high school programs and $1,000,000 to the Disabled Veterans Life Memorial Foundation. As a patron of the arts, Mrs. Pope has supported the Florida Philharmonic, the Palm Beach Opera and the Montgomery Armory Arts Center. She founded The Florida Stage in Manalapan. Mrs. Pope is a member of the University of Miami's Board of Trustees and is a member of the Board of the University's School of Medicine, Dean's Leadership Cabinet. She was recognized for her work as a member of Florida Atlantic University's Board with the President's Medallion for Distinguished Service. Her many other accolades and awards include: the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for exceptional humanitarian efforts, the City of Hope Woman of the Year, the Florida Woman of Achievement, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from her alma mater, Chestnut Hill College and honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the Rabbinical College of America. Mrs. Pope received the Timothy J. Nugent Award, presented to outstanding individuals who have significantly influenced the spinal cord injured community of America; the Health Care Heroes Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, The Lizette H. Sarnoff Award for Volunteer Service; the 2008 Association of Fundraising Professionals Philanthropist of the Year Award for Palm Beach County; and the VFW James E. Van Zandt Citizenships Award. As the runner of five New York City marathons, all completed after she turned 55, Lois Pope will no doubt continue to complete the course she has chosen... to improve the lives of others. Click here to return to Biographies. |
