A Celebration of creating and sharing. Our evening celebrates: our work and mission; our donors and volunteers; and — most importantly — the lives saved and improved because of everyone’s effort. The Champaign County Heart & Stroke Ball promises to be an engaging evening of fun and passion bringing community and philanthropic leaders together. Last year, our Heart Ball campaign raised just over $51 million nation-wide allowing us to fund over $123 million of research and programs across the country and in your community. Since 2001, the American Heart Association has funded almost $6.7 million in groud-breaking research studies conducted in Champaign-Urbana at the University of Illinois.

The Champaign Heart Ball will celebrate a decade of dedicated fund raising with the 2010 event. Interim President Stanley Ikenberry along with Lou Rysnic and Judy Frasier Chaired the very first Heart Ball in our community back in February of 2001. Over the last nine years, the Champaign County Heart Ball has raised $1.1 million (net) for the American Heart Association’s lifesaving programs and research, contributing to advances such as CPR, pacemakers, bypass surgery, heart transplants, echocardiograms, coronary arteriography, heart lung machines, and anti-rejection therapy drugs. Simply put, residents of Central Illinois see $6.00 for every $1.00 donated invested by the AHA in Champaign County in the form of research alone!

Since the first event in 2001, the Heart Ball has since been Chaired by numerous community and philanthropic leaders. Here is a look at our friends of heart.

2002 – President Emeritus James Stukel and Mr. and Mrs. Craig Bazanni
2003 - Mr. and Mrs. Peter Fox
2004 – Mr. and Mrs. Tom Harrington
2005 – Mr. and Mrs. Van Dukeman
2006 – Chancellor and Mrs. Richard Herman
2007 – Mr. and Mrs. David Mills with Special Appeal Heart Champion Mr. Douglas Mills 2008 – Mr. and Mrs. Michael Comet
2009 – Mr. and Mrs. Curt Anderson with Special Appeal Heart Co-Champions Mr. and Mrs. Wade Denby