Beneficiaries
The Trust has evolved through the years, and currently, the purpose of the Trust is to continue Ava Gardner’s renowned legacy of generosity and compassion. Throughout her lifetime, Ava supported humanitarian causes and contributed her time and money to charities such as the March of Dimes, the American Cancer Society, and the American Red Cross. The Ava Gardner Trust still exists, thirty years after Ava’s passing, because there is no time limit on generosity and compassion. Currently, all Trust funds go to the following charities and non-profits.
Queen Victoria Hospital
Ava selected the Queen Victoria Hospital Foundation Trust as a beneficiary because of Sir Archibald McIndoe who treated Ava after a devastating fall from a horse at the Peralta ranch in Spain in October of 1957. This fall resulted in a hematoma on her right cheek. Ava’s confidence also took a great hit. She wondered how she would be able to continue to make films with a scarred face. Archie, as Ava came to call him, treated Ava with heat and massage, continued to follow Ava’s progress, and assured her that the hematoma would go away in time.
In recovering from the fall, Ava became more and more involved with the burned pilots of the Royal Air Force who formed The Guinea Pig Club. Ava said her involvement with these brave men helped her. “It was the best possible therapy for me.” From her autobiography, Ava: My Story, she said: “I met a lot of them and we danced and laughed together. They were so brave I could have wept. Archie told me my visits did them a lot of good, but I’m sure they helped me more than I ever helped them.”
Archie asked for a favor. He invited Ava to come to the hospital in East Grinstead to sell autographs at the hospital’s fundraising fair. Archie invited every press person in the area to turn their cameras on Ava. She looked gorgeous and there was no tell-tale sign of her injury. When Ava saw the photographs in the papers, she regained her confidence and was forever grateful to Archie. “What more could Archie have done for me? Without letting on, he had given me back my confidence. As he had done with so many young airmen, he had given me back my life.”
McIndoe is remembered worldwide for his innovative work with the burned pilots from World War II. Today the Queen Victoria Hospital is internationally known for its expertise and world-leading specialist skills in treating burns, cancer, complex eye conditions, and facial palsy. The remarkable staff at the Queen Victoria Hospital help to rebuild lives. They maintain, “Medical research and advancement requires investment to continue to push the boundaries.” Ava would be immensely pleased that after all these years, she is still able to contribute!
Learn more at qvh.nhs.uk.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Each year, the parents of 16,000 children in the United States will hear the words, “Your child has cancer,” and many of these children will be referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the survival rate for childhood cancer from 20 percent when St. Jude opened in 1962 to more than 80 percent today. “St. Jude will not stop until no child dies from cancer.” Most of the funding comes from charitable donations, and the mission is to save children regardless of their financial situation. No family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food.
St Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. St. Jude is where doctors often send their toughest cases because St Jude has the best survival rates for some of the most aggressive forms of childhood cancers. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world.
This amazing children’s hospital has discovered a cure for “bubble boy” disease (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease) a rare genetic disease that causes a child to have a weak immune system. As a result, the child is unable to fight off even mild infections. The disease is known as the “living in the bubble” syndrome because living in a normal environment can be fatal to a child who has it. St Jude turns laboratory discoveries into life-saving treatments that benefit patients every day.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has launched an ambitious initiative to improve access to care for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases in every corner of the world. St. Jude Global will create a network of interactive institutions that will form a global alliance focused on improving survival rates of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases worldwide, through the sharing of knowledge, technology and organizational skills.
Learn more at stjude.org.
Ava Gardner Museum
The Ava Gardner Museum is a registered North Carolina non-profit. The Museum’s charter mission is to preserve and present the collection of Ava Gardner memorabilia and to educate the public about the life and career of Ava Gardner. The Museum carries out its mission through curatorial preservation, historical interpretation, and educational outreach. The Museum’s unique collection spans Ava Gardner’s entire life, from her humble beginnings in rural North Carolina to her relaxed final years in London. Since opening their doors in 1981, their vast repository of Ava’s personal and professional artifacts has grown to include photographs, jewelry, costumes, memorabilia, papers, ephemera, and much more.
The Museum’s expert staff and dedicated board members work closely with the Gardner family to accurately translate the many facets of Ava into state-of-the-art exhibitions and informative digital offerings. As a result of these efforts, they are the definitive resource for illuminating the world to the remarkable life and lasting legacy of Ava Gardner.
The Trust and Museum work together closely to identify projects that will benefit all three charities. There is a reciprocal, formal agreement between the Trust and the Museum to share assets such as copyrights, trademarks, images, and artifacts.
Learn more at avagardner.org.
“We must always be grateful for our good fortune and be kind to others.”
– Ava Gardner