The American Heart Association welcomed close to 250 supporters to the Capital Region Heart Ball on Feb. 4 at the Hershey Lodge. The campaign, led by chair Jim Hoehn, regional president for PNC Bank in central Pennsylvania, raised more than $335,000 for the American Heart Association.
Tom Russell of CBS21 News hosted the dinner program, which recognized event sponsors and volunteers for their contributions to the American Heart Association and its work in the community.
One volunteer receiving special recognition was Christian C. Merritt III, vice president and investment and trust services regional manager at F&M Trust, who won the 2022 South Central PA Leaders of Impact campaign. Merritt raised $36,388 for the American Heart Association during the campaign period from Sept. 29 through Nov. 15, 2022. He ranked first among all Leaders of Impact nominees in Pennsylvania and 11th in the country. Merritt noted that he became involved to honor family members who have had cardiac events.
In addition to silent and live auctions, guests supported the cause through the Open Your Heart appeal led by open heart surgery survivor Kara Clouser of New Bloomfield. Clouser was preparing for the birth of her second daughter when she ended up in the hospital fighting an infection that would eventually go septic and spread to her heart. Due to the advanced surgical procedures available locally, Clouser was able to avoid a highly invasive valve replacement procedure and opt for a valve repair surgery, which would likely produce longer lasting results and have a shorter recovery time. The surgery was a success and Clouser was able to get back on her feet within a few weeks of her surgery to run her photography business and finally hold her infant daughter for the first time.
Clouser's surgeon, Dr. Mubashir Mumtaz from UPMC, was unable to attend the Heart Ball in person but sent a letter that was read by UPMC in Central PA president Lou Baverso.
The dollars raised by the Capital Region Heart Ball fund the mission of the American Heart Association to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives while working toward the association's 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal of reducing barriers to health care access and quality.
Photos and event highlights can be found by searching for @AHAPennsylvania on Facebook, and more information is available at http://capitalregionpaheartball.heart.org.
For more information about supporting the 2024 Capital Region Heart Ball campaign, which will be chaired by Baverso and celebrate the American Heart Association's 100th anniversary, contact Kristie Davis at kristie.davis@heart.org or 717-730-1743.
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