Coral Gables resident Barbara W. Havenick will receive the Caroline Halpern award this year for her efforts to further development of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center after her husband was admitted there more than 10 years ago. She will accept the award at the annual gala on Saturday, April 25.
Havenick created a strong foundation for the center’s patients through her philanthropic work and continues to build for the future. One of her greatest successes came during a difficult time in life when her husband lost his battle to cancer and she took a role in creating the Fred Havenick Intensive Care Unit.
“I remember when my late husband had to be transferred to the ICU at Jackson,” said Havenick. “It was a fine facility, but the multiple trips across campus were physically and emotionally draining. I knew then and there that something had to be done. We simply had to have an ICU facility here at Sylvester.”
Along with Joan Scheiner, chair of the Sylvester board, Havenick helped install a more convenient and accessible ICU for future generations of patients and their families. The Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only university-based cancer center in South Florida and has transformed cancer research and treatment in the region.
The annual Sylvester gala celebrates patients who battle cancer daily and all money raised will go to develop more precise therapies through ground-breaking research. The Caroline Halpern Award was established in 1994 by the Sylvester Center in recognition of Halpern’s commitment to cancer research.
Havenick hails from a philanthropic family. Her mother, Florence Hecht, was known for her influence at the University of Miami and was an elected trustee, a life trustee, senior trustee and a trustee emeritus. Her four children continue to be involved with the Sylvester Center. UM facilities named in honor of the Hecht family include the Florence Hecht Residential College, Isadore Hecht Athletic Center, as well as the Isadore Hecht X-Ray Lab at the Bascom-Palmer Eye Institute.
Havenick’s accomplishments include being a member of the UM Board of Trustees; a member of the Sylvester Center Board of Governors; and a member of the UM President’s Council. She is involved in many other charitable organizations, including Circle of Giving, Temple Beth Sholom and the Jewish Museum of Florida, and was a founder of the Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation.
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