A Message from Our Chairmen

As I sit at my desk preparing to make an appeal on behalf of the local chapter of the American Heart Association, I feel a certain empathy for the sea Captain heading straight into the “Perfect Storm”: seemingly more charity events than ever, most with marvelous agendas and worthwhile causes, an economy that has literally destroyed a substantial portion of everyone’s net worth, the “Madoff” factor and a general “charitable fatigue” that appears to have assumed national proportions.

O.K., before you nod your heads in affirmation and prepare to respond to the perfect “out” I have just presented, please take a moment and consider the following:

1. The American Heart Association dedicates a significant portion of their spending to our children and, for many of us, our Grandchildren. I could go into considerable detail with impressive facts and figures but will spare you all of this, since a) we are already inundated with more information than we can digest from all well-intended charities, and b) the message is crystal clear: we must improve the quality of life for our young ones who are, at this point, unable to help themselves;

2. not to leave out the rest of us, heart disease is the number one killer of American men and women. Please give this statistic some thought: Number One!;

3. as Chairmen of the Northern Palm Beach’s event, we invite you…we need you…to join us as a sponsor of our premier event and help us achieve our goal of raising $350,000 in the fight against heart disease and stroke. Please consider how cardiovascular disease has touched your life or that of your loved ones as you contemplate your commitment to the American Heart Association;

4. so much for what we’re asking you to do for us. What we’re going to do for you is provide you with a truly memorable evening of fun (February 20th is the date) in an entirely different manner than that which we typically experience at these fundraisers…how’s this for openers: no tuxedos for the guys....socks are also optional, but something appropriate for an evening at a nightclub, because that’s the venue and that’s the attitude. This is not the standard hotel ballroom event that we’re used to, but the City Club, which is a newly refurbished private club located on the top floor of the Golden Bear Building on A1A just north of PGA Boulevard...it gets better: no formal tables…plenty of good food, all night long, but at stations so that you get up , sit down, move around, mingle, dance, talk and all of the above…we’re talking not typical and not stuffy here….great music direct from one of the best clubs in Miami, and with enough variety that we can all find something to do our best “Dancing with the Stars” imitation.

As you can see, we realize the challenge and have pulled out all the stops to make this a unique and fun-filled event. All of this said, we require the support of each and every one of you who are reading this letter in order to achieve our objective. The evening will be terrific, but our goal is clear: a full house contributing a minimum of $350,000 in order that AHA’s lifesaving mission of building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke is achieved.

Many thanks for your thoughtful consideration. We look forward to welcoming you, and thanking you personally, on February 20th.

Sincerely,
Leslie & Ed Sacks
Event Chairmen