Dinner, dance boosts research
WARRENDALE — Several hundred people enjoyed a dinner and a dance Saturday night to raise money for the American Heart Association.
The annual Beaver-Butler Counties Heart Ball, dubbed "Heart Rock Cafe," was at the Four Points Sheraton Pittsburgh North.
Barbara Roth, the American Heart Association's division director for Beaver and Butler counties, said this year's goal was to raise $200,000.
The money will go toward heart research and to help fund events such as the Heart Camp held annually at Camp Kon-O-Kwee in Fombell, Beaver County, just outside of Zelienople.
This was the fourth year Beaver and Butler counties teamed to host the event, which was co-chaired by Dr. Angel Rafael Flores and David Bonvenuto.
Flores, a cardiologist, is with the Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Center. Bonvenuto is executive vice president and general manager of Oberg Medical.
Bob Bruce of Integrity Wealth Consulting was master of ceremonies.
Two teens were honored as heart heroes who shared their stories of survival.One was Samantha Scholl, 18, of Cranberry Township, who is a senior at Quigley Catholic High School and has had two heart transplants.Her first transplant came when she was just 3 days old, due to a rare heart defect.At age 8, Samantha had a chronic rejection and coronary artery disease that required her second heart transplant.She has attended Heart Camp for the past decade.Samantha is the daughter of Pat and Denise Scholl.The other teen to speak was Brenton Atcheson, 16, a sophomore at Sewickley Academy. Brenton had heart surgery when he was just 3 months old and again at the age of 2.Roth said heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women and the No. 1 birth defect among children."Everybody knows somebody affected by health disease," she said.<br></br>
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