Heartbeat campaign acheives $250,000 fundraising goal for American Heart Association
What an incredible journey it has been. From launch to celebration, Salute’s HeartBeat campaign brought our global community together in a powerful demonstration of commitment to heart health and wellness. Through months of dedication, awareness-building, and participation across continents, we not only reached but celebrated our $250,000 fundraising goal for the American Heart Association—a milestone that represents our collective impact in the fight against cardiovascular disease and stroke, which claim over 17 million lives annually worldwide.
This campaign holds deep personal significance for our CEO, Erich Sanchack, whose daughter Dani’s life was saved by research and tools funded through AHA donations. When Dani needed rare open-heart surgery for an uncommon heart defect, the 2010 Heart Walk fundraiser Erich had led years earlier helped fund the lifesaving operation at Johns Hopkins. That experience drove home the profound value of paying it forward—a commitment our entire team embraced throughout this campaign.
Our eight-week campaign brought together Salute teams from California to Warsaw, uniting colleagues across continents in support of heart health. Through a combination of in-person Heart Walks from Milwaukee to Santa Barbara to Dallas, CPR awareness sessions, stress-management mindfulness programs, and virtual step challenges, we demonstrated that when we rally around what matters, we create lasting impact in the fight against heart disease across more than 100 countries.
The campaign featured our Global Virtual Challenge, where teams with creative names like Pulse Panthers, Stride Wolves, Beat Hawks, Cardio Cheetahs and Endorphin Eagles logged miles through walking, cycling, rowing and swimming. Beyond the physical activities, our partnership with the AHA provided invaluable education through weekly Heart Health Webinars covering topics from CPR education to nutrition and women’s heart health.
The culmination of our efforts was an electric HeartBeat celebration concert in Austin, featuring Salute leadership and team members in a special performance—a fitting finale to an incredibly successful campaign.
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who donated, walked, learned, and celebrated with us. Special thanks to our sponsors and partners who helped make this achievement possible. Your donations will support breakthrough research like implantable pacemakers and artificial heart valves, fund the Million Veteran Program, and heart health education across 100+ countries.
Together, we’ve proven that caring for our people and communities is at the core of delivering exceptional service. Here’s to heart health, today and every day.