Heroes of the Heart Gala
The first Heroes of the Heart Gala on October 25 was a tremendous success! More than 400 guests attended the event to honor our heroes Sue Piazza, Wendell White, and Bess Wills. They were captivated by mountain climber Stacy Allison's presentation highlighting her Mt. Everest ascent. Stacy is the first American women to summit Mt. Everest. The net proceeds raised from this event are still being determined and will be shared as soon as they are complete. In the meantime, please enjoy these photos which help tell the story of Gala.
Our 2012 Heroes of the Heart
Sue Piazza, winner of the Heroes of the Heart Award
Sue Piazza, winner of the Heroes of the Heart AwardSue Piazza, winner of the Heroes of the Heart Award
Sue Piazza, Creator, The Fabulous Fifty Project, wanted to do something meaningful for children in her community and began a mission that led to the “Fabulous Fifty Project” where she identified five local charities to support and began a journey to raise $10,000 gifts for each of them by her 50th birthday on June 14.
Wendell White, winner of the Heroes of the Heart Award
Wendell White, winner of the Heroes of the Heart AwardWendell White, winner of the Heroes of the Heart Award
Wendell White, Chairman, Generations LLC, has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in both the senior living services industry and his community service. Wendell has 60 years of service to seniors, their families, employees, and the communities in which he has lived and worked. He is a recognized leader statewide in the senior care industry. His outstanding leadership as chair of Adventist Health’s Chaplain Campaign raised $6.2 million to fully endow Adventist Health’s chaplain department. This endowment resulted in the first endowed chaplain department in a healthcare setting in the United States. This fund ensures that we will continue to have a vibrant spiritual care support program for our patients, families, staff, physicians and volunteers.
Bess Wills, winner of the Heroes of the Heart Award
Bess Wills, winner of the Heroes of the Heart AwardBess Wills, winner of the Heroes of the Heart Award
Bess Wills, General Manager, Gresham Ford, is passionate about giving to her community. Helping small organizations all over the city is her obsession. Bess started the “Community Support Program” that donates $100 with the purchase of any new or used vehicle, and 10% of all service work, parts and labor, in the customer’s name to the charity of their choice. As a result, they have helped literally hundreds of different organizations, improve lives throughout the region and the nation.
