Heartworks Gala Raises $1 Million for NMF Programs

The NMF celebrated another successful fundraiser with its annual event, Heartworks: The Marfan Gala, raising $1 million to support the Foundations programs for those affected with Marfan syndrome and related connective tissue disorders. Heartworks was held on April 17 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.

A special Fund-A-Need call to action raised funds for the NMF initiatives for children and teens. During this Fund-A- Need, NBC-TV’s Hoda Kotb, the master of ceremonies, was joined on-stage by NMF members, Emily Wheeler, 23, and Michelle Smith, 16, who shared their personal experiences while asking for support.

Drew Rayman—brother of NMF Board Member and Heartworks Corporate Host Karen Murray—pledged $50,000 to kick-off the appeal and challenged the gala audience to meet his donation. As a result, an additional $43,000 was raised.

Luminaries from business and industry, theater and fashion, media and medicine were on-hand as the NMF honored two notable recipients with a Hero with a Heart Award for their outstanding contributions to the Marfan community: Dr. Hal Dietz, III, Victor A. McKusick Professor of Medicine and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Director of the William S. Smilow Center for Marfan Syndrome Research and worldwide pharmaceutical leader Merck & Company.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Heartworks Honorary Chair for the past six years and a consistent presence at the gala, presented Dr. Dietz with his Hero with a Heart Award. Mayor Bloomberg’s powerful comments demonstrate year after year that New York certainly has a heart for the Marfan community.

Dr. Antonio Gotto, Jr., Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Medical College of Cornell University and 2007 Hero with a Heart Award recipient, presented the award to Ron Smith, MD, who represented Merck & Co.

The success of the evening was due in large part to Heartworks Dinner Chairs Ben Carpenter, Vice Chairman, RBS Greenwich Capital; Dr. Gotto; Randy Falco, Chairman and CEO of AOL LLC; Susan Falco, NMF Board member; Ann Reinking, Tony Award-winning choreographer and Broadway star; and Dr. Victor McKusick, University Professor of Medicine and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The Foundation is also grateful to the Gala Committee, including NMF Board members Steve Crombe and Joseph R. Gagliano, Jr., for their commitment to the success of Heartworks. In addition to the awards, there were silent and live auctions featuring great prizes and the beautiful one-of-a kind hearts that are the signature of Heartworks. Special thanks to Tracy Fitzgerald, an NMF member from New Jersey and a talented artist in her own right, for coordinating the hearts, which were designed and created by artists throughout the country. Robin Brinckhoff, of Christie’s, graciously donated his time to lead the live auction, which was a resounding success.

The NMF is grateful to its many sponsors for their support of the gala, especially Chairman’s Circle Sponsor Ann Reinking; Platinum Sponsors Ben Carpenter and Jay Levine of RBS Greenwich Capital, and the Gold Sponsors: the American Heart Association, AOL, the Falco family Optima Fund Management, Nautica, NBC Universal, Witte & Sholton families, and the Smilow family.