In 1987, breast cancer survivor Sandy Sewell founded Circle 1000 to support the Hoag Family Cancer Institute where she had received lifesaving cancer care. After her experience, Sandy gathered a group of her friends and asked them each to donate $1,000 in support of cancer programs at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach. The premise was simple: friends asked friends to donate, and donors were thanked at an annual brunch. No gala, no auction, just a circle of friends with a pure, heartfelt desire to give.
Over the past 37 years, Circle 1000 has raised over $25 million for the Hoag Family Cancer Center helping to fund the recruitment of physicians as well as supporting advanced studies in the cure of cancer in its many facets, including early detection programs, molecular imagery and various therapies. Circle 1000 also supports Hoag’s Melanoma & Skin Cancer Programs and the Oncology Nurse Navigator Program. Overall, the group’s philanthropic support has elevated the standard of cancer care throughout Orange County.
Sandy passed in 2022, but her contagious philanthropic spirit continues to fuel Circle 1000, which has become a dedicated, robust and active community of donors over the years.
Nominated by: Hoag Hospital
Pictured: Mary Buckingham and Lacy Robertson, Co-Chairs