Janice Kane to Head Gala Planning Team

Dateline Colleyville: August 25, 2001 8:12 AM

Janice Kane to Head Gala Planning Team

Janice Kane of Colleyville will serve as chairwoman for the 2002 Affair of the Heart, an annual black-tie gala that has raised more than $1 million during the past seven years for the American Heart Association.
The eighth edition of the gala will be held Saturday, March 2, at the new Westin Beechwood Hotel across from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. It will feature a "Viva Las Vegas" theme and is expected to draw about 600 people and raise about $175,000 after expenses.

"This will be the first major event held at the new Westin hotel, and it looks like it will be a fabulous facility," Kane said. "We're thrilled to be having our gala there. I also think it will blend nicely with our Las Vegas theme, which I've wanted to use for the gala for a long time!"

The rest of this year's gala planning team includes vice chairwoman Shirley Schollmeyer, a former president of the Colleyville Women's Club, and past gala chairs Linda McNeely, Brenda Ritz, Bonnie Carroll, Anne Marie Adams and Priscilla Michalk.

"Some people might feel intimidated by having so many former event chairs on their committee, but I welcome their input and their expertise," Kane said. "When I looked around the room at our first planning meeting, I was really excited by the quality of volunteers dedicated to making this event a success for the American Heart Association."

The 2002 gala once again will feature one of the premier live auctions in Northeast Tarrant County as well as a large selection of silent auction items. A new feature this year will recognize medical professionals in the area. Sponsors are being recruited now, and table sales will start in early November.

The American Heart Association's national goal is to reduce death and disability from heart disease by 25 percent by the year 2010. Currently, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States, causing more deaths each year than the next seven leading causes combined.

Locally, 41 percent of all deaths recorded in Tarrant County during 1998 were related to cardiovascular disease. About 78 percent of the American Heart Association budget is used for education, research and community service projects.

For more information about the Northeast Tarrant Division of the American Heart Association, call Division Director Tamra Ward at (817) 315-5011.

Additional information on American Heart Association goals and programs is available on the Internet at www.americanheart.org.

HAVE COMMENTS ABOUT THIS OR OTHER STORIES?
SEND AN EMAIL TO THE EDITORS
Comments will be posted on Editor Emails unless otherwise requested.