| Put all this past year’s
cardio exercise to good use as you dance, laugh, table hop,
socialize, and hold your breath to see if you’re the
winner of a silent auction bid that may net you a Lexus for
a year or a trip to Polynesia.
The premiere fund-raising event in Lee County is the annual
Heart Ball, and this year will prove to be especially exciting,
said Danielle Broderick, communications director of the American
Heart Association, Lee County division.
In addition to an “extraordinary culinary dining experience,”
for more than 675 guests there will be a cocktail reception,
a silent auction, and entertainment by the Susan Taylor Starlight
Orchestra, Broderick said.
Before the ball, a kick-off and thank you party was given
on March 5, for 150 of the major contributors, and this year
it was held in Cape Coral at the newly constructed 17,000
square-foot waterfront Cape Harbour home of Will and Hillary
Stout.
“It was a wonderful party,” said Hillary Stout.
“I was very proud to have Cape Coral as a sponsor destination.
We wanted other members of the Heart Association to know Cape
Coral is here and doing well.”
Stout said the party included a display of macaws for the
“tropical casual attired” guests who dined on
heart-healthy foods. They were treated to electric boat rides
through the spreader canal and Stout said she was happy to
hear her guests exclaim over the Cape’s growth and beauty.
“We think people coming in from Lee County were really
impressed with what Cape Coral is becoming. It’s not
the ends of the earth here anymore,” Stout said.
“I was very gratified that the people in the Heart Association
thought enough of us to allow us to host the sponsor’s
party,” she said. “But I also
|
want to personally thank the
thousands of people who donate their time and energy to this
important cause. There are so many people who don’t
have a lot of money to donate, but they give what they can
and that’s priceless.”
Some of the items up for bid at the auction include a lease
on a Lexus, donated by Scanlon Lexus; a cruise to Polynesia,
donated by Betty Maclean Travel; and designer jewelry courtesy
of Congress Jewelers, Broderick said.
The ball is presented by Lee Memorial Health System and Southeast
Regional Medical Center and will be hosted by Sanibel residents
Tom and Linda Uhler. The couple, Sanibel residents for 26
years, are actively involved in the AHA.
“I feel I’m alive today due to the technological
advancements discovered through AHA funding,” said Tom
Uhler. “The proceeds of our heart ball will help continue
the research which saves lives and improves quality of life
for people like me.”
NBC-2 anchor Craig Wolf, will emcee the event to be held on
Saturday, March 20, at 6:30 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs.
Money raised through the fund raiser will help benefit the
American Heart Association to support research and education
programs to combat heart disease and stroke. The AHA takes
credit for discoveries and procedures such as cardiac catheterization,
open-heart surgery, angioplasty, pacemakers and CPR. Since
1924 the AHA has helped protect and educate the American public.
Heart disease and stroke are the nation’s No. 1 and
No. 3 killers and claim more than 930,000 American lives a
year. The AHA invested more than $348 million in fiscal year
2002-03 for research, professional and public education.
Tickets still are available to the ball. Contact Danielle
Broderick, American Heart Association Communications Director
at 498-9288.
|
