Community Stories

RED Gala raised $140,298 for South Florida seniors

November 23, 2022

RED Gala raised $140,298 for South Florida seniors

The 2022 RED Gala raised $140,298 to support Heart2Heart’s ongoing outreach to South Florida seniors. 

“We had a great night,” Heart2Heart CEO Juan Gallo said. “As always, we were encouraged by the outpouring of support from our caring community. 

A total of 172 people attended the event. The funds were raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and a silent auction. The silent auction featured high-value prizes like a stay in a luxury resort in the Bahamas and a trip to Ireland. 

Heart2Heart also raffled off a basket of donated Apple products, sponsored by Best Roofing, which included an Apple TV+, HomePod mini, AirPods and a limited edition RED Apple Watch. Todd Dettor was the lucky winner of the raffle. 

During his keynote address, Juan explained the value of advocacy in the relationship between Heart2Heart volunteers and the seniors they serve. 

“Advocacy means we value and listen to the perspective of our seniors. We step into their space to understand them. It means we respect how each person chooses to live out their latter years,” Juan said. “Advocacy means we speak on their behalf with a level of empathy that comes only after spending time with them.”

Juan also reviewed the successes of three new programs Heart2Heart has launched or expanded in the last year. Those programs include: 

  • Food for Hope, in which volunteers deliver weekly meals to seniors living independently; 
  • Relief Care, where volunteers provide weekly companionship to seniors in the community, giving full-time caregivers a break; and 
  • C.A.R.E. Tech, which places iPads in care centers to allow residents to connect with volunteers and loved ones through video calls.

During the event, Sonata Memory Care Director David Arana spoke about Sonata’s Duets, an enrichment program designed for its memory care residents. 

Community Relations Director Riana Samaroo also presented on of the Heart2Heart C.A.R.E. Scholarships, sponsored by The Dr. Bill Kent Family Foundation. Samara Rawls, a junior at Piper High School, was presented with a $2,000 scholarship. Lugas Pagel, the sophomore scholarship winner announced earlier this year, also attended the event. 

Ginger Martin, CEO of American National Bank, surprised Heart2Heart by announcing a gift of $2,000 — beyond the bank’s initial sponsorship of $1,500.

Heart2Heart thanks each of its generous sponsors of its RED Gala, including Gloria Jacaruso, owner of the Pompano Minuteman Press, who donated the Gala program books.

“Overall, we have had a successful year,” Riana said. “We look forward to continuing to advocate for seniors in the months and years to come.” 

Gala 2022 sponsors

Join the Team!

Becoming a Heart2Heart volunteer means that you are dedicated to serving the aging community. It means you want to connect in a meaningful way to a specific individual or to several people. It means you are committed to a consistent amount of time per month – whether that’s several hours a week or just a few hours per month.

Heart2Heart volunteers must be background checked and trained. Our training can be completed from your home on your computer or device, through the online Volunteer Portal. We run fingerprints in our office in Fort Lauderdale, and you can schedule an appointment with us after you finish the training.

The first step is to create an account on our Volunteer Portal. To get started, click here!

Read more …

118 Volunteers Needed as Food for Hope Relaunches

118 Volunteers Needed as Food for Hope Relaunches

Food for Hope is BAAACK!!! And the volunteer-led meal delivery program is bigger than ever!

So we need your help!

To deliver meals to Broward County seniors, we need 118 volunteers to give 2-3 hours each week.

This month, our CEO Juan Gallo made a special appeal to Broward County churches for this community-wide effort.

Read about the (relaunched!) Food for Hope

Big Ideas and Small Acts of Kindness

Big Ideas and Small Acts of Kindness

We were inspired by the story of Rashaad Green, an inspirational student we met at a college volunteer fair. At 22 years old, he is helping homeless people, including a 64-year-old senior, and he’s started a club that will bring art therapy to seniors. He dreams of one day curing cancer and opening a permanent and temporary housing facility for the homeless.

The Glamorous Stories of a 1940s Broadway Dancer

The Glamorous Stories of a 1940s Broadway Dancer

Lillian Flowers is 98. She lives alone in Fort Lauderdale.

She used to dance on Broadway.

While volunteer Steve Retford is helping her get services she needs, he gets a front row seat to glamorous stories from Broadway, filled with famous theater producers, celebrities (she dated Dean Martin briefly), and traveling through a life of show biz.

We extended his front row seat so you can listen to Lillian’s stories too.

Heart2Heart Welcomes New Staff — in a New Space!

Heart2Heart Welcomes New Staff — in a New Space!

In case you haven’t met them in person yet, we introduced the new additions to our team:

– Rosevel “Rosie” Castro, outreach coordinator
– Peighton Stone, dietician and intern with us from Nova Southeastern University for eight weeks

Some of our team got new roles, too. Check out all the details about that — and our new office!