CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: Receives $25 Million From Mattel

      In what could be "the largest-ever corporate cash gifts," UCLA Children's Hospital today will receive a $25 million check from Mattel Inc. The Los Angeles Times reports that the gift will held fund construction of a new 102-bed pediatric hospital to replace the "1940s'-era facility" that was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The new hospital, which should open in 2004, will be renamed Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and will feature a 5,000-square-foot lobby containing "larger-than-life" Mattel toys such as Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price characters and Ken and Barbie. The Times reports that the money will cover 75% of construction costs for the new children's hospital, which is part of UCLA's $1.1 billion venture to rebuild a new "state-of-the-art" medical center. The $25 million gift also will "cement" Mattel's name to the hospital, connecting the brand with "one of the nation's leading children's transplant and research facilities." New York corporate identity consultant James Bell of Lippincott & Margulies said, "It's a lasting kind of advertising, and money well spent over a period of time" (Maharaj, 11/12). Gerald Levey, dean of the UCLA School of Medicine, said, "We are exceedingly grateful for Mattel's vision and societal commitment in supporting UCLA Children's Hospital. Mattel toys have made children happy for years. Now, Mattel will also help make children well" (UCLA release, 11/12).