The David and Nicole Tepper Foundation joined forces for 12th annual event to redefine care for area children
CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 31, 2026 – The 12th Annual Levine Children’s Gala welcomed more than 600 guests to Uptown Charlotte on Saturday, March 28, raising $3 million to benefit Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. The charity event was made possible by the generous support of the community — most notably, The David and Nicole Tepper Foundation. The night’s theme, “Where hope shines,” emphasized the community’s role in providing a bright future for patients and families in the Charlotte region.
Held for the fifth consecutive year at the home of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC, the gala included national and local celebrities, athletes, philanthropists, community leaders and representatives of Advocate Health and Atrium Health Levine Children’s.
Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor, two-time SAG Award winner, and New York Times best-selling author Rob Lowe served as emcee before a sold-out crowd and recognized many of Levine Children’s top supporters, including: The David and Nicole Tepper Foundation, Leon Levine Family, The HEARTest Yard/The Greg Olsen Foundation, The Hendrick Family Foundation and PNC Bank.
Rob Lowe shared the stage with Advocate Health leaders Steve Smoot, president of the North Carolina/Georgia Division; Callie Dobbins, senior vice president, children’s and women’s health; and Dr. Javier Oesterheld, vice chair of clinical affairs, Atrium Health Levine Children’s. They were joined by Levine Children’s patient-champions and Carolina Panthers legends Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly, who is also a recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee.
Atrium Health Foundation board member Beverly Ladley stepped into the spotlight as recipient of the Leon Levine Champion of Hope award, honored for her years of advocacy, volunteerism and investment in Levine Children’s. Her support — particularly through the Baby J initiative that honors her son — has made an enduring impact on Levine Children’s pediatric brain tumor research program.
Inspired by the moving testimonies of Levine Children’s patient-champions, gala attendees demonstrated an overwhelming spirit of philanthropy. Between the high-energy paddle raise and live auction, the evening reached a milestone in funds raised to support the growth of Levine Children’s.
Closing out the evening with style, one of the nation’s top party bands, Rhinestone Cowboy, lit up the stage with an energetic ensemble featuring a fusion of Nashville soul and modern pop hits.
About Atrium Health Foundation
About Atrium Health Foundation Founded in 1959, Atrium Health Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in Charlotte. As the point of contact for all contributions benefiting Atrium Health in the Charlotte region, the Foundation inspires transformational giving to improve health, elevate hope, and advance healing – for ALL. Through its current Giving Hope Campaign, Atrium Health Foundation is supporting Atrium Health’s efforts to create the learning health system of the future by building healthy communities, outstanding education programs, preeminent research, and exemplary facilities.
About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is advancing clinical care and research across the communities it serves by redefining care for all. The care network is anchored by Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, an academic medical center in Charlotte that includes Levine Children’s Hospital, Levine Cancer Institute and Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, along with 11 hospitals, more than 900 care locations and over 1,400 physicians serving communities across the greater Charlotte region. It is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States. Advocate Health is a preeminent academic health system at the forefront of clinical excellence, innovation and research, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as its academic core. Nationally recognized for expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, Advocate Health is also a pioneer in the delivery of virtual health care. It’s accelerating discovery by making research participation part of the standard-of-care through its one-of-a-kind National Center for Clinical Trials. Advocate Health has one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs, with an experiential learning focus and specialized residencies to help protect the long-term sustainability of rural health care in America. Each campus of the school of medicine has an affiliated life-sciences focused innovation district: The Pearl, in Charlotte, and Innovation Quarter, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With more than 165,000 teammates serving patients at 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations across seven states, Advocate Health reinvests over $6 billion each year to improve community health, making it one of the nation’s largest providers of community benefit.
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