Sunday, March 16, 2014
Photo
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR Those involved with the annual Tri-County Heart Ball are, from left, Dr. Joseph A. Graziano and Dr. Wahoub M. Hout, who will both receive the 2014 Cardiac Service Award; Mariann Pacak, event co-chair; Kathryn Shroder, event chair; Dr. Sudhakar V. Rao, 2014 Heart of the Community Award recipient; and Robert Shroder, CEO, Humility of Mary Health Partners, 2014 Heart Ball Signature Sponsor.
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
The community will be welcomed to Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., for the annual Tri-County Heart Ball, which will begin at 6 p.m. March 29. The gala supports research and will honor three local leaders in the medical field.
Honorees this year are Sudhakar V. Rao, M.D., M.A.M.S., who will receive the Heart of the Community Award; and Joseph A. Graziano, M.D., F.A.C.C. and Wahoub M. Hout, M.D., F.A.C.C., who are both recipients of the Cardiac Service Award. Each was selected for their important contributions to health in the community.
Tickets are available at $150 per person. A part of the ticket cost is tax-deductible. For information about tickets and sponsorship call the American Heart Association at 330-318-1003.
Co-chairing the event, at which more than 300 guests are expected, are Kathryn Shroder and Mariann Pacak. The elegant evening will treat guests to dinner, unique live and silent auction items, dancing and a moving Open Your Heart special appeal for pediatric cardiac research.
The appeal will focus on the story of a local survivor, Emmet Erb, 4, who underwent open heart surgery at 3 months old to correct a congenital heart defect.
Supporters of the ball are Signature Sponsor St. Elizabeth Heart and Vascular Center, Humility of Mary Health Partners; Ready Set Ignite Sponsor Bob & Chuck Eddy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat; Premier Sponsor ValleyCare Health System of Ohio; Gold Table Sponsors Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, AVI Foodsystems Inc., Greenwood Chevrolet, Home Savings Charitable Foundation, The Surgical Hospital at Southwoods and VEC Inc. and many other donors. Media sponsor this year is 21 WFMJ-TV and WBCB.
The American Heart Association was founded in 1924 and is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke. It funds cutting-edge research, conducts education programs and advocates for the protection of public health.