Lee Health Foundation honors Cross with humanitarian award
The Lee Health Foundation awarded the Frank Haskell Humanitarian Award to Amanda Cross for her leadership in creating SanCap Cares, a community initiative that has raised $15 million since its founding in 2000.
The award was presented at the annual Evening of Appreciation, a formal event thanking donors and supporters for their generosity and commitment to enhancing health care services within the Lee Health network. “Carols & Coconuts” was held Nov. 29 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa.
Each year, Lee Health Foundation honors a deserving individual with the award, which recognizes outstanding leadership in the advancement of quality health care for Southwest Florida residents. The award is named in honor of Frank Haskell, who along with his wife, Betty, co-founded Barbara’s Friends Golisano Children’s Hospital Cancer Fund. For more than 20 years, Frank Haskell has worked nonstop to help local children win their battles with cancer and life-threatening blood disorders.
Last year’s award recipient, Joe Catti, explained how SanCap Cares started with a group of Sanibel women who recognized the benefit of having high-quality health care nearby. Cross galvanized that group and initiated what would become SanCap Cares, a major fundraiser supporting the creation of Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
“Amanda’s tireless leadership, her love of the mission and yes, her attention to every detail, made the event better and better every year,” Catti said. “Her efforts truly created a culture of philanthropy on Sanibel and Captiva.”
Those initial discussions nearly two decades ago centered around the need for a children’s hospital in Southwest Florida. At age 10, Cross’ daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart problem, and she had to be airlifted to a Miami hospital for treatment. That was a common practice for decades as Lee County families had little option but travel to Miami or Tampa for specialized pediatric care.
In 2017, a freestanding, state-of-the-art children’s hospital opened in Fort Myers thanks to the philanthropic work of organizations like SanCap Cares.
“It’s been an honor to be a part of this effort to support this amazing hospital,” Cross said, “and to see where it has come over the past 20 years.”