The Cooper Foundation’s 15th Annual Red Hot Gala has raised almost $4 million in support of Cooper University Health Care, while honoring Donna and Rick Forman for their leadership, philanthropy, and commitment to Cooper and the South Jersey community.
Close to 1,000 business leaders, philanthropists, and community advocates will gather tonight at the TRIAD1828 CENTRE on the Camden waterfront to celebrate this event.
Each year, the gala generates millions of dollars to expand access to care and advance critical health programs at Cooper, which has hospitals in Camden and Cape May Court House plus South Jersey’s only Level I Trauma Center.
“The Forman Family’s generosity has helped shape Cooper’s past, present, and future,” said Philip A. Norcross, chairman of The Cooper Foundation Board. “Their philanthropy has expanded cancer care, strengthened programs for vulnerable populations, and fueled our $3 billion Camden campus expansion — one of the largest in the region. We are proud to celebrate them as symbols of what makes South Jersey strong.”
The Formans’ partnership with Cooper is deeply personal. Donna, a breast cancer survivor, turned her diagnosis into a source of purpose — helping to shape the Foundation’s signature Pink & Teal event and becoming an advocate for women navigating cancer.
Donna Forman said going to Cooper “gave me the chance to turn a difficult moment into something meaningful — not just for myself, but for my family and so many other women who needed to know they could get through it, too.”
Rick Forman echoed the family’s commitment to paying forward the care they received: “We’ve always believed in helping others — long before we had the ability to give at this level. Cooper welcomed us like family, and being able to support its growth feels like the most natural thing we could do.”
Rick Forman is the founder of Forman Mills, a leading discount retail chain, and a philanthropist with a long-standing commitment to health care and community initiatives. Donna Forman is the First Vice Chair of The Cooper Foundation Board.
The Cooper Foundation supports the patients, services, research and educational programs of Cooper University Health Care, one of the largest health systems in southern New Jersey.
