This year, the Birmingham Heart Ball was chaired by Caldwell and Cathy Marks. The event honored Dr. Ray Watts, president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his wife Nancy with the American Heart Association’s Heart of Gold Award in recognition of their longstanding philanthropic support of the Birmingham community.
Throughout the evening, the American Heart Association honored volunteers and supporters, featured stories of survivors, and entertained guests with dinner, dancing, and a live auction. To date, the Birmingham Heart Ball has raised more than $20 million for local research, advocacy, and community education efforts to fight heart disease and stroke, the first and fourth leading killers of Alabamians, respectively. The Birmingham Heart Ball highlights the Association’s impact on the research and treatment of these conditions, as well as local efforts to implement the Association’s mission.