The Cardon Family

Cardon Children's Medical Center is a comprehensive children's hospital that serves greater Phoenix, the state of Arizona and beyond.

In its journey to serving Arizona children, Cardon Children's Medical Center significantly benefited from one Mesa family's dedication to superior pediatric health care.

In 2009, the Wilford and Phyllis Reneer Cardon family gave a record $10 million donation to Banner Health, a gift that cemented a family legacy that has been building for many generations.

The Cardons, their eight children and 17 grandchildren call the East Valley of metro Phoenix home. They recognized the need for a dedicated pediatric facility in the region. In fact, all but one of their grandchildren were born at Banner hospitals, making an investment in the campus attractive for both health care and sentimental reasons.

In recognition of the Cardons' generosity, Banner Health renamed the hospital. Under its new name, the hospital opened a new facility in fall 2009 that  increased its total bed count to 248 beds

Wilford Cardon has even deeper ties to Banner Health, serving as a member of our board of directors and a past chairman.

In the 1930s, Wilford’s father founded the Cardon Group, headquartered in Mesa. The business focused on fuel service stations at the time, and evolved to include real estate development and investment, wholesale and retail petroleum, lodging, ranching, manufacturing and finance. Today, the business has interests beyond Arizona, with activities throughout the U.S., Brazil, Costa Rica and Panama.

But the family's heart remains local and they wanted to give back to their community.

As Wilford, who contracted polio at age six, said as he toured the hospital “This is a grand thing for children.”