City of Hope to honor Bruce Merino
City of Hope, the Duarte, Calif.-based cancer center dedicated to advancing medical science and caring for patients, will honor Home Depot executive Bruce Merino with its 2009 Spirit of Life Award.
The award is presented each year to a leader who has made a significant commitment to those in need and has made notable contributions to his or her community and profession. Merino, Home Depot’s senior vp-merchandising and chairman of the Home Depot Foundation, will be honored at the Spirit of Life reception to be held at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas on Jan. 19, the day before the start of the International Builders’ Show.
Merino is not only a long-time supporter of City of Hope. He is also a patient there. “The home improvement industry has quite a legacy with City of Hope. I have been in the industry for 37 years, and it’s an honor to be recognized along with the founders of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank and Pat Farrah,” he said. “I am a Type 2 diabetic patient at City of Hope and have benefited from their great care.”
According to Al Olsen, City of Hope’s senior director of development, the hardware/homebuilding industry has contributed more than $140 million over the last 25 years to City of Hope in support of advancements in medical research, research equipment and infrastructure. Past Spirit of Life honorees include Marcus (twice), Blank and co-founder Farrah.
“Home Depot has been a huge supporter of City of Hope for many years and has led the whole hardware industry to be a support for us,” said Olsen. “Home Depot founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank started a tradition of supporting City of Hope in the 1980s, and Bruce has continued that.”
When the Home Depot Foundation was created in 2000, City of Hope became one of its major causes, and Merino helped secure a grant for $1.65 million over five years that was used to renovate and build energy-efficient cottages where patients and their families can live while the patient is in treatment or recovery.
Subsequent to that, Merino helped secure a three-year grant for $675,000, which will be used to install a sustainable solar energy system in one of the medical research buildings, complete the last renovations needed for on-site patient housing and build a playground. He has also helped organize a City of Hope golf tournament held each May in Palm Springs, Calif., that has raised $2 million over a 10-year period.
Merino, who has been with Home Depot since 1984, is responsible for supporting all merchandise-related activities, as well as leading vendor services, merchandising operations, field merchandising execution and the store environment function. He is also president of EXPO Design Center. In addition to serving as chairman of the Home Depot Foundation, Merino is co-chair of the Hardware/Homebuilding Industry’s Executive Council for City of Hope and is actively involved in Habitat for Humanity and KaBOOM! playground builds.
Between 400 and 500 people are expected to attend the Spirit of Hope reception, where Alan Barry, retired president and COO of Masco and 2008 Spirit of Life honoree, will present the 2009 award to Merino.