Submitted photos Four attendees of the Tri-County Heart Ball on Saturday at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield used the idea of the four chambers of the heart to show the American Heart Association’s focuses: access, knowledge, advocacy and discovery. From left are Gina VanCant, Project Milk Mission CEO/Founder and American Heart Association Social Impact Funds recipient; Amy Kren, Trumbull County heart attack survivor and former Woman of Impact nominee; Mike Kerr, Trumbull County CPR instructor and Heart Powered volunteer; and Dr. Praveen Venkatachalam, Mercy Health neurologist.

CANFIELD — The Mahoning Valley raised more than $250,000 to support the fight against the nation’s No. 1 killer — cardiovascular disease — at the 2026 Tri-County Heart Ball on Saturday.

The event brought together community leaders, volunteers and survivors of cardiovascular disease to showcase how research discovery, advocacy, access and knowledge can make an impact and change health outcomes for the Mahoning Valley. The critical funds raised will help support the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association.

Since the Heart Association’s founding in 1924, deaths from cardiovascular diseases have been cut in half. Unfortunately, the association predicts more than 6 in 10 people in the U.S. are likely to have some type of cardiovascular disease by 2050, so supporting the American Heart Association’s lifesaving work is more urgent than ever.

“Heart disease and stroke are still the No. 1 and No. 4 killers in the Valley, and together, we are uniting to change these statistics,” said Rachel Barber, cochair of the 2026 Tri-County Heart Ball, emeritus board member for the American Heart Association of Northeast Ohio and Executive Vice President of Finance for VEC, Inc. “I believe my mom, a heart attack and cardiac arrest survivor, is with us today because of her strong determination to survive and due to the cardiovascular research from the American Heart Association. If it wasn’t for the money raised during events such as the Heart Ball or the Heart Walk there would be no research, and without research there would be no survivors.”

The Tri-County Heart Ball is a culmination of the year-round Heart of Tri-County campaign to improve and save lives from heart disease and stroke. It marks a moment in time to reflect, honor and celebrate the progress made through the discovery of groundbreaking research, improving access to quality health care, advocating for efforts at local, state and federal levels and equipping communities with lifesaving knowledge.

Nearly 300 local guests heard the story of 14-year-old sudden cardiac arrest survivor Jacob Burley of Crestview Local Schools. Throughout the event, which was held at Waypoint 4180, eight local volunteers shared their stories of survivorship, research, triumph and lifesaving advocacy work, bringing the mission to life in the greater Youngstown region. For this year’s event, CTW Corporation served as the gold sponsor, Thom Duma Fine Jewelers was the auction sponsor, and VEC, Inc. and HBK served as silver sponsors.

“It was so exciting to bring together people from our community, business leaders, health care workers and survivors to celebrate the lives that have been saved and to bring hope to our community with all the initiatives, research and advocacy that the American Heart Association does,” said Nancy Landgraff, PhD, PT, cochair of the 2026 Tri-County Heart Ball, emeritus board member for the American Heart Association of Northeast Ohio and department chair and professor of therapy at Youngstown State University. “It was so fulfilling to share this information with a phenomenal room full of people who had great energy and really came together to support the cause.”

The American Heart Association is the world’s leading nonprofit organization that focuses on heart and brain health. For more information on how to support the American Heart Association visit heart.org/tricountyheartball.