Marge Schott: Giving From the Heart
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| Gifts from Marge Schott helped support cardiac care and research at Cincinnati Children's for more than 40 years. Through the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation, Marge's legacy of support will continue. |
Marge Schott's name is synonymous with baseball in Cincinnati. As the former owner of the Reds, she was widely known for her love of the sport – and her dog Schotzie. There was something else Marge also loved: children.
Though she didn't have any children of her own, she was passionate about supporting organizations that provide care, education and opportunity for the children in our community. Through her time, resources and careful planning, she did just that.
Marge established the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation to ensure the things she cared so deeply about in life would continue to be cared for long after her death.
In 2006, two years after Marge passed away, the Schott Foundation gave The Heart Center at Cincinnati Children's a $1 million grant to support the work being done to improve cardiac care for children.
For decades, Marge was in the forefront of support for children with heart disease at Cincinnati Children's. She spent more than 40 years as an active board member of the Children's Heart Association, an organization that supports The Heart Center at Cincinnati Children's.
"Marge gave generously of her time and resources to support cardiac care and research for the children she loved," says Robert Beekman, MD, professor of pediatric cardiology at Cincinnati Children's. "For 37 consecutive years, she held an annual gala in her own home, known as the Reds Rally, to raise funds for pediatric cardiac care."
Over the years, Marge's contributions – in time, money and compassion – touched generations of patients and helped The Heart Center at Cincinnati Children's pioneer procedures that have advanced care for children with heart disease.
"Through her efforts, Marge helped expand our understanding of pediatric heart disease and thereby improved the health of many children," Dr. Beekman says.
In life, Marge embraced the mission of The Heart Center and the possibilities it offered to the children she dearly loved. By planning ahead and establishing a family foundation, she created an enduring legacy of compassion for the children of our community, and she helped Cincinnati Children's continue to change the outcome for kids around the world who have heart disease.
