Under the leadership of Vicente Reynal, chairman and CEO of Ingersoll Rand, and his wife, Melany, the Heart of Charlotte Heart Ball campaign rallied area businesses to reach a record-breaking $3 million campaign benchmark benefiting the American Heart Association. This milestone was marked this February, during Heart Month, at the annual Greater Charlotte Heart Ball which celebrates the generosity of area business leaders and philanthropists and the accomplishments of a year-round campaign to shape healthier lives free of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Over the last 66 years, the Heart of Charlotte Heart Ball has attracted the city’s largest companies and most recognized corporate, health care, and social leaders whose support helps the AHA analyze, connect, innovate, influence, and invest in advancing its efforts to improve health outcomes and extend more lives by combatting the leading cause of death globally – cardiovascular disease.
Top sponsors for the American Heart Association’s efforts in Charlotte include Ingersoll Rand, JELD-WEN, Novant Health, and Nucor. More than 60 companies and 300 individuals contributed to the cause through the 2023-2024 Heart of Charlotte Heart Ball campaign. Campaign Executive Leadership Team members included leaders from American Airlines, Ingersoll Rand, JELD-WEN, KPMG, Modives, MSC Industries, Nucor, Tepper Sports & Entertainment, Trane Technologies, Truist, and Service Logic.
While continuing to be the largest nonprofit funder of cardiovascular disease research outside the federal government, sponsor support also advances the American Heart Association’s aim to strengthen public policy and systems that help ensure the healthy choice is the easy choice in our community. This work also translates to year-round employer participation through tools and resources like the Workplace Wellbeing Scorecard and Cardiac Emergency Response Plan templates. Collaboration with clinics and community centers include partnerships to educate, inspire and equip patients to manage their risk factors including high blood pressure, physical activity and healthy eating.
The American Heart Association honored community partner Tchernavia Montgomery, executive director of Care Ring, with the Heart of Gold Award for her leadership to advance health equity in our community. With high blood pressure affecting nearly half of all Black and Hispanic males and females in the U.S., Care Ring adopted the AHA’s Target BP, a clinical tool that helps improve blood pressure control rates and ensures that patient care for hypertension is aligned with the latest research-based guidelines.
Through the Reynals and Ingersoll Rand’s generous support, the American Heart Association is providing culturally sensitive community health lessons, CPR training equipment, and consultative support for cardiac emergency response plans at area nonprofits, capacity building for food pantry procurement policies and refrigeration, and nutrition screenings, specifically in high priority health zip codes areas designated by Mecklenburg County.
Over its 100-year history, the American Heart Association, a leading source of health information, has saved and improved lives. And now, with bold hearts, and the support of corporate sponsors and community partners like those engaged with this year’s Heart of Charlotte Heart Ball campaign, the AHA is forging ahead into its second century.
Photos Courtesy of the American Heart Association
