Salute is honored to name the American Heart Association as our official corporate charity for 2025, following a longstanding and personal journey for our CEO, Erich Sanchack, and his family.
Globally recognized for its work in alleviating cardiovascular disease, the American Heart association‘s universal mission is one that our entire team is proud to support.
A story that changed everything
When Erich Sanchack served as chair of the American Heart Association Heart Walk fundraiser in 2010, his corporate team broke fundraising records. Erich saw it as another high-impact initiative, one that aligned with his values, but felt distant from daily life. He never expected those same funds would later help save his daughter’s life.
That all changed when Dani, Erich’s then 12-year-old daughter, began experiencing chest pains in gym class. Doctors soon discovered that Dani had an incredibly rare heart defect – one so uncommon it’s typically only discovered postmortem. Her care team said she needed a rare form of open-heart surgery, so Erich began researching top surgeons with the experience and confidence to perform it. He was later astonished to find out that the 2010 Heart Walk fundraiser that he’d led had helped fund the tools and research used at Johns Hopkins to perform Dani’s lifesaving operation.
“Absolutely nothing can prepare you for the moment doctors tell you your child’s life is in danger,” says Erich. “All you can do in that moment is trust and hope that the people who have spent their lives preparing for situations such as those are as well-prepared as they can be to do what you, as a parent, can’t. To then be told, at a time when you feel more helpless than you ever have, that your small act of charity helped in some small way to do exactly that really drove home the value of paying it forward, something which still motivates me both professionally and personally.”
How we are supporting the American Heart Association in 2025
Dani’s story and the countless others like hers from all around the globe are why our entire team is proud to partner with the American Heart Association. In 2023, that commitment was reflected in our actions, with the more than $110,000 we raised funding cardiovascular research, lifesaving public education, and access to care in underserved communities.
We hope to better that total this year through a renewed campaign that will bring together purpose, participation, and practical impact. Taking part across 12 countries– intended as a reflection of the American Heart Association’s universal mission – we’ll be running everything from CPR certification drives, educational webinars, company-wide wellness content, a Global Heartbeat Challenge, as well as simultaneous Heart Walks in both London and the US.
All of this will culminate in the Heartbeat Concert in Austin later this year. Hosted by the Sanchack family in November, we’ll be offering sponsorship packages ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
All packages will offer verbal recognition during the event program, logo placement on signage, and representation as part of Salute’s AHA support team during the October Heart Walk. Sponsors will also be recognized, as appropriate, across key areas, including the stage, band setup, dining, refreshments, seating, and auction space.
Marching toward a healthier future
Together, these global initiatives will help the American Heart Association continue the vital work that once made all the difference for Dani. Since 1949, the AHA has invested over $5 billion in research, resulting in more than 19 million patients receiving quality care for high blood pressure, 22 million people trained in CPR each year, and a 13.6% reduction in stroke-related deaths since 2018. As Dani and Erich’s story reminds us, behind every one of those numbers is a life changed, a family impacted, and a future reclaimed. That’s why we believe our efforts today carry weight, not just for the cause, but for the lives that may one day depend on it.