City of Hope Spirit of Life® Award Dinner Raises Nearly $2 Million for Cancer and Diabetes Research

City of Hope’s International Home Furnishings Industry honored three industry leaders for their service and generosity at the annual Spirit of Life^® Award dinner on April 3 during High Point Market. Nathan Cressman, president and CEO of Magnussen Home, Andrew Koenig, CEO of CITY Furniture, and Roger Friesen, chief revenue officer of Palliser Furniture Ltd. Friesen was presented with The Spirit of Life^® Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Cancer and diabetes have not stopped because of the pandemic, and neither have City of Hope and the International Home Furnishings Industry,” said Spirit of Life^® dinner chair, Kevin O’Connor. “The dedication of furniture industry leaders to raising funds during these challenging times is remarkable. And it is City of Hope that inspires us to do all we can to defeat these life-threatening diseases.”

Funds raised through The Spirit of Life^® Award dinner support the acceleration of cancer and diabetes treatment innovation at City of Hope, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with an expanding national footprint and a leading research center for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses.

“I am grateful and honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at our annual Spirit of Life^®  dinner, one of the furniture industry’s largest charity events,” said Friesen. “Philanthropy has been an integral part of my life, and I am proud to join industry leaders and Spirit of Life^® honorees, Nathan Cressman and Andrew Koenig, to raise awareness and support for the incredible work of City of Hope.”

Cressman shared, “Cancer has impacted too many of our lives, including my own family. Hearing more about City of Hope’s record of innovation and expanding access to expert diagnosis and care from Dr. Edward Kim truly gives me hope.” Cressman continued, “It means a great deal to me personally and professionally to be honored with the City of Hope Spirit of Life^® Award alongside industry leaders Andrew and Roger. I humbly accept this honor on behalf of our stellar Magnussen team and this generous International Home Furnishings Industry group. Together, we must continue to build upon our successes of today for better tomorrows.”

“Giving back for the health of our communities is one of CITY Furniture’s top commitments,” Koenig added, “and I am honored to support City of Hope’s mission to expand access to expert diagnoses and treatments in more communities across the country. I am deeply humbled to now join my father, Keith Koenig, in being named a City of Hope Spirit of Life^® honoree. I can’t think of a more special family tradition than helping to accelerate City of Hope’s mission of saving lives.”

In addition to the awards ceremony, the program included remarks by Edward Kim, M.D., M.B.A., physician-in-chief for City of Hope Orange County and vice physician-In-Chief of City of Hope National Medical Center. Kim shared the exciting news of City of Hope’s expanding geographic footprint with the opening of a new campus in Orange County California and the recent acquisition of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). With our Southern California cancer care campus and community practice sites, and now CTCA’s sites in Atlanta, Phoenix and Chicago, City of Hope is expanding access to world-class research and treatment, exceptional care, clinical trials and leading-edge innovation to patients nationally.

The committed partnership of the International Home Furnishings Industry allows Kim and City of Hope’s world-renowned physician-scientists to speed the discovery of tomorrow’s cures for cancer and diabetes to patients who need them today.

Click here to donate to City of Hope and this year’s Spirit of Life^® Award dinner.

About City of Hope’s International Home Furnishings Industry

The Spirit of Life Award dinner is one of two annual flagship events hosted by the International Home Furnishings Industry Group (IHFI) in support of City of Hope’s fight against cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. IHFI’s Annual West Coast Golf and Tennis Tournament takes place on June 13, 2022, in Coto de Caza, California.

Formed in 1965 by a group of dedicated industry and community leaders, the International Home Furnishings Industry group is one of City of Hope’s oldest and most successful industry-based chapters, raising over $100 million to advance leading-edge research and treatment innovation for the benefit of patients and families everywhere. To learn more, visit CityofHope.org/IHFI.

About City of Hope

City of Hope’s mission is to deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them today. Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. As an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, City of Hope brings a uniquely integrated model to patients, spanning cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and innovation initiatives. Research and technology developed at City of Hope has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. A leader in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy, such as CAR T cell therapy, City of Hope’s personalized treatment protocols help advance cancer care throughout the world.

With a goal of expanding access to the latest discoveries and leading-edge care to more patients, families and communities, City of Hope’s growing national system includes its main Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, scheduled to open in 2022, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America. City of Hope’s affiliated family of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHope^TM. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.