Inspire 2025 ANNUAL DONOR REPORT

Kapiʻolani: Strengthening Cancer Care

Walter Panzirer (back row, second from right), Helmsley Charitable Trust trustee; Gov. Josh Green, MD, (back row, second from left); with 2025 Children's Miracle Network Champion Aurelia Awa (front row, left) and her family.

When the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust made its first-ever gift in Hawai‘i in August 2024, trustee Walter Panzirer explained the philosophy behind their philanthropy.

“We just don’t write checks and leave. It’s a long-term partnership,” he told an audience at Wilcox Medical Center, which received a $10.6 million grant to fund advanced diagnostic and radiology equipment to ensure communities on Kaua‘i have access to high-quality care.

Less than a year later, Walter and the trust made good on the promise.

In April, Helmsley announced a $5 million grant to support cancer care at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children.

“Women and children across Hawai‘i facing cancer diagnoses should be able to access top-notch cancer care close to home, where family and friends can provide much-needed support,” Walter said. “These expansions will ensure patients can get the care they need in a timely manner.”

Health care is close to Walter’s heart. Throughout his time as a paramedic, firefighter and police officer, he saw the impact that quality care – and access to that care – can have. Those firsthand encounters have made Walter an advocate for improving health care across the world through Helmsley.

The grant will allow Kapi‘olani to accelerate the expansion of its cancer services through the future Martha B. Smith Cancer & Infusion Center. At 25,000 square feet, the center will be nearly five times larger than the current space at Kapi‘olani. It will double the number of infusion bays for women and pediatric patients, as well as expand treatment space for clinical trials and cutting-edge therapies.

In honor of the generous gift, the new cancer and infusion center’s lobby for pediatric services and healing garden will bear Helmsley’s name.

“We are incredibly thankful for the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s gift to Kapi‘olani, which will help to provide state-of-the-art cancer care for years to come,” said Dawn Dunbar, Hawai‘i Pacific Health senior vice president of Philanthropy. “This funding will allow Kapi‘olani to best serve the cancer needs of women and children across Hawai‘i by further elevating how we deliver specialized care, as well as expanding innovative treatments and research.”