On Saturday night, over 800 people came together at the 2018 Hutch Holiday Gala to celebrate the intersection of data science, technology and life sciences — and its potential to transform cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Led by a $4 million challenge gift from Microsoft, the largest health care–focused philanthropic contribution in the company’s history, Saturday’s black-tie event raised more than $10.4 million for research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The Gala has now raised a total of $136 million over its 43 years and continues to be the organization’s single largest fundraiser.
Fred Hutch is partnering with Microsoft, other tech innovators and local philanthropists to achieve a common goal: curing cancers faster.
“For us at Microsoft, this is an opportunity for us to help the Hutch do what it has always done, to help the Hutch do what it does best: move faster to cure cancer,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in his remarks.
As in past years, Seattle-area donors united to show their overwhelming support for the Hutch. Board chair Matt McIlwain and his wife Carol set a new bar, raising their bid paddle to donate $1 million during the Gala’s “Help the Hutch” segment, the largest such gift in the history of the event.
