2025 Chicago Heart Ball honoree recognized for heart health focus
CHICAGO, Feb. 2025 — The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, today announced that Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has been named the 2025 Heart of Gold honoree at its 2025 Chicago Heart Ball. This award will be given in recognition of Lurie Children’s longtime support of the Association’s mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.
Working to advance heart health
In 2017, the American Heart Association installed a hands-only CPR kiosk at Lurie Children’s, making Lurie Children’s the first hospital in the nation to have a kiosk onsite. The American Heart Association has supported Lurie Children’s contributions to scientific innovation by providing funding across four studies.
Lurie Children’s has been a supporter of the Association’s local work in Chicago, contributing more than $1 million toward key American Heart Association campaigns including CycleNation, Health Equity in the Workforce initiatives, the annual Chicago Heart Ball and Heart Walk. Lurie Children’s relationship with the American Heart Association, Chicago also extends to its leadership, with many of its executives being involved in the Association’s local initiatives as volunteers. Previous and current volunteers from Lurie Children’s include:
- Alex Miller, Chief Financial Officer at Lurie Children’s
- Ron Blaustein, former Lurie Children’s Chief Financial Officer and Heart Challenge volunteer
- Thomas P Shanley, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer at Lurie Children's
Lurie Children’s also supports the American Heart Association’s commitment to equitable health. Jaclyn Reider, APRN-NP, CPNP-AC, CCDS, a pediatric nurse practitioner with Lurie’s Children’s electrophysiology program, was a 2023 Woman of Impact nominee, helping that year’s cohort raise more than $124,000 toward fighting heart disease in women. In 2024, Reider also worked with Project ADAM, a national program founded that educates and equips schools to respond a sudden cardiac event, to support local efforts to pass HB 5394. The bill required all Illinois schools to develop and implement cardiac emergency response plans for all Illinois school and school-sponsored activities. The bill was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in July 2024 and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
“It is a privilege to have Lurie Children’s join us as the honoree of this year’s Chicago Heart Ball,” said co-chairs Reverend Dr. Otis Moss III & Mrs. Monica B. Moss, “Dr. Shanley and the Heart Center’s commitment to patients and their families runs deep. Lurie Children’s Heart Center’s advocacy of the mission of the American Heart Association is inspiring, as they are an integral part of the Heart of Chicago campaign to create healthier lives for all members of our community.”
Heart of Chicago
Lurie Children’s has been a longtime supporter of the Heart of Chicago campaign. In 2020, Patrick Magoon, Lurie Children’s former president and CEO, was honored with the Heart of Gold award for his work advocating for children’s health and his service as a long-standing local volunteer for the American Heart Association. More recently, Dr. Sheetal Patel, medical director of Lurie Children’s fetal cardiology program, was nominated as a 2024 Leader of Impact in Chicago. During the seven-week competition, Dr. Patel raised funds and drove awareness about heart health in her community, raising more than $110,000 towards the American Heart Association’s mission.
The American Heart Association’s Chicago Heart Ball is a celebration of the Heart of Chicago campaign, a year-round initiative aimed at driving equitable health in the Chicagoland area. The initiative raises funds to support the American Heart Association’s mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives for all while supporting priority issues in Chicago. Addressing social determinants of health to close the 30-year life expectancy gap between Chicago’s Streeterville and Englewood neighborhoods has been identified as a key objective by the American Heart Association Metropolitan Chicago board for 2025.
The 2025 Chicago Heart Ball will be held April 11, 2025, at 8 p.m. at Navy Pier’s Aon Grand Ballroom. The annual event is a celebratory evening of storytelling, dinner, dancing and an exciting auction. For more information on how to support or attend the Chicago Heart Ball, visit https://www.heart.org/chicagoheartball or contact John Arnao, vice president of development: john.arnao@heart.org.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
For Media Inquiries:
Rachel Klousnitzer, Rachel.Klousnitzer@heart.org
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
