Generations of giving

Group photo caption: L to R: Timothy R. Vaughan, W.W. “Bill” Caruth III, Sandra Estess and D. Harold Byrd III

If Earle Clark Caruth could see the impact of her foundation’s decades-long giving to Children’s Health, she’d find a hospital whose reach to care for children extends far beyond the pioneer city Dallas was when her family arrived in 1848.

She’d find a system that now includes two hospitals and numerous specialty centers and clinics throughout the state. She’d find a hospital system that cares for kids in North Texas and beyond. She’d find a hospital that continues to grow – because of the early investment of donors just like her.

“She would be amazed. The differences between what was then and what is now are overwhelming,” said her grandson W.W. “Bill” Caruth III, who serves as a board member of the Hillcrest Foundation.

The Hillcrest Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by Earle Caruth upon her death in 1958, was established to support the advancement of education, the promotion of health and the relief of poverty in Texas.

For more than three decades, Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center have benefitted from the Hillcrest Foundation’s generosity.

As a teenager, Bill Caruth remembers meeting Dr. Donald Seldin, who is known for transforming UT Southwestern into one of the nation’s leading medical schools, in a makeshift lab inside abandoned Army barracks during the school’s early years.

“My father was supporting his work, and that was the beginning of Southwestern Medical School. My family has been connected since the beginning of it,” Caruth said.

More than a half century later, the Hillcrest Foundation has committed a multimillion-dollar gift to support the new Dallas pediatric campus, a collaboration between Children’s Health and UT Southwestern. The generous donation is one of the largest gifts the organization has ever made.

In recognition of their investment, a new family lounge within the new pediatric campus will bear the Hillcrest name.

“The Hillcrest Foundation trustees recognized the importance of the institution's commitment to providing premier health care for children in the burgeoning population of North Texas,” said Sandra Estess, who serves on the Hillcrest Foundation board. “Today's children are tomorrow's future, and the time to act is now.”

Estess has been a longstanding supporter of Children’s Health since the 1970s, serving the hospital in numerous ways: as a volunteer, a longtime board member and as a co-chair of an earlier capital campaign for Children’s Health in the early 2000s.

Estess understands that the demand for pediatric health care continues to increase as the population grows in North Texas. And with that unprecedented growth comes a need for space to house advanced pediatric health care services.

“Having been involved in the previous successful capital campaign, it's gratifying to realize that we've outgrown ourselves and now embrace the future with confidence and resolve,” Estess said.

D. Harold Byrd III, another trustee, said he is excited about how their gift will impact the lives of many future children and their families.

“This grant to support the construction of the new pediatric campus will expand cutting-edge treatments, fund critical pediatric research and enhance specialized care units,” Byrd said. “By investing in innovation, technology and compassionate care, we are helping ensure that every child receives the best possible chance at a healthy future.”