Ken and Cheryl Williams made a $10 million gift to UNC Lineberger to fund cancer research initiatives that hold the greatest promise for cures. With the memories of the pain they experienced when their son Tony passed away, they hope the research will result in clinical advances and save other families from suffering the loss of a loved one.
Ken and Cheryl Williams were overwhelmed with gratitude when dozens of their colleagues, friends and family members gathered on Thursday, January 21, 2016, to celebrate the naming of the N.C. Cancer Hospital lobby in memory of the couple’s beloved son, Tony Williams. The occasion was bittersweet, as Ken and Cheryl’s son passed away just four years ago, but it was also the celebration of a transformational $10 million gift the couple believes will provide hope to families facing potential heartache.
“The pain of losing Tony is a sorrow that will always be a part of our lives,” Ken says. “Cheryl and I hope that through our gift to UNC Lineberger, and because of the life-saving cancer research it will fund, eventually, other families won’t have to experience the suffering that accompanies the loss of a loved one.”
Through the Ken and Cheryl Williams Fund for Venture Initiatives at UNC Lineberger, the couple chose to make the extraordinary gift of $10 million to fund cancer research initiatives that hold the greatest promise for cures. The gift is unrestricted, giving leaders of the cancer center the greatest flexibility to earmark the funds for emerging research opportunities that can make the greatest impact against cancer.
“When you look back on your life, you have to ask yourself, ‘Have I done what I can to help others? Is this world a better place because I was here?’ Those are big questions, but cancer is a big disease.” – Cheryl Williams
“I spent my professional career in pharmaceutical research,” explains Ken, who retired as a senior vice president from Quintiles, the world’s largest provider of biopharmaceutical development and commercial outsourcing services. “So I’ve always been interested in new, cutting edge treatments and therapies. That’s one of the things UNC Lineberger is known for – being a world-class leader in cancer research – so Cheryl and I were very interested in finding a way we could support the cancer center’s mission. Also, we both have personally suffered loss due to cancer, so we’re passionate about the quest for cures. We have faith that researchers will eventually unlock the mysteries behind cancer, and there’s no reason those discoveries can’t be made right here in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.”
Williams gift support $200 million goal
Ken and Cheryl’s generous gift played a pivotal role in UNC Lineberger fundraising success during the 2016 fiscal year, which totaled a record $16.2 million in philanthropic gifts and new commitments. The cancer center also secured $12.9 million in grants from corporations and private, non-governmental foundations. This brought the total funds raised from private sources to more than $29 million for a second year.
“Every day, our care providers and scientists commit themselves to the pursuit of today’s best care and tomorrow’s best hope,” says Martin Baucom, senior executive director, UNC Lineberger Development and Communications. “Ken and Cheryl’s gift demonstrates a similar level of commitment to fighting cancer. They’ve set a lofty leadership standard for what philanthropy can do to advance the life-saving mission of UNC Lineberger, and their sense of timing couldn’t be better. We are viewed nationally as a cancer center on the move, and we are also in the early stages of an eight-year fundraising campaign. Ken and Cheryl’s philanthropy harnesses our tremendous momentum and will inspire additional investments throughout the campaign. That’s what leadership is all about.”