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Tracy and Doug Lape

Tracy and Doug Lape have given a lot of thought to the kind of legacy they hope to leave. It started with a conversation on the executive board of the Northern California Food Industries Circle, of which Tracy is a member. “Doug and I hadn’t gotten around to making our will yet,” Tracy explains. “So when the subject of creating a personal giving challenge for City of Hope came up, we decided to act.”

Tracy’s involvement with City of Hope goes back 20 years. The connection has been both professionally and personally rewarding. “Both of my mom’s sisters died of cancer,” she says. “I don’t have siblings, so my aunts and cousins were my immediate family.”

Doug also has a professional City of Hope connection: He works for a commercial landscaping company that maintains the grounds of the City of Hope Duarte campus. But, he explains, his connection to City of Hope is also very personal. “I lost my grandmother and two aunts to diabetes. I’m well aware of City of Hope’s research aimed at reducing its terrible effects.”

In addition to their annual industry support, Tracy and Doug Lape have stepped forward to make a planned gift to City of Hope and to lead the Northern California Food Industries Circle as part of the Industry Challenge to benefit City of Hope.

The Lapes have included City of Hope as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, a retirement account, and a portion of their estate through their will. They have gone public to encourage other food industry supporters to make a similar commitment to City of Hope’s future.

“We hope to play a small part in helping City of Hope achieve more breakthroughs,” says Tracy. And, Doug adds, “Ultimately, we hope to see cures. We understand that there won’t be a cure for every disease, but City of Hope is in the best position to have an impact.”

According to Tracy, “Our vision is the same as City of Hope’s staff: much less invasive treatments. We want this to be part of our personal legacy.”

Of the Industry Challenge, Tracy says, “The goal of the number of participants seems so achievable, I don’t see why our Northern California Food Industries Circle can’t meet it all on our own!”