High cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and excess weight increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. That’s why it’s so important to monitor these factors as a first step in controlling the disease and improving your quality of life. The next time you visit your healthcare provider, be sure to ask for your critical numbers to be screened and develop a plan, which may include diet, exercise and medication, to manage them. Right: Married for 52 years, Sandy and Mac feel extremely fortunate. “We’re so proud of our kids, our grandchildren, and our sons-in-law, who are so generous,” Sandy said. Your Numbers and building new relationships, so it’s perfect for me, though it’s a pretty full-time commitment.” Luckily, Kristine is being guided by tradition. “One of the things that makes this event unique is that the past Heart Ball chairmen stay involved,” Sandy said. “We have a governing council, because there are so many past Heart Ball chairmen. We have a luncheon every year and it’s so fun to hear people talk about their memories.” Though the governing council ensures continuity so the event doesn’t change radically from year to year, the group also understands that life has changed and that technology can help spread awareness of heart disease. “We want to harness social media to bring awareness so that people know they can prevent this disease,” Kristine explained. As part of that, the group has instituted a #KnowYourNumbers selfie challenge, where committee members share pictures of themselves with a ball cap emblazoned with the hashtag, wherever they may be. 28 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JUNE 2019 28 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JUNE 2019 COVER STORY CONTINUED

“It’s a way that the committee and their friends can be involved with the mission of spreading awareness on a daily basis, instead of going to one meeting here and there, and then to the ball,” Kristine said. As she looks ahead to the Heart Ball this November, Kristine models her parents’ example as a way to handle expectations and stress. “One of the things they did such a great job teaching Shannon and me is that the pie is big enough for everyone. Just because someone else’s slice becomes bigger doesn’t mean yours becomes smaller,” she said. “That is incorporated into my views on fundraising. If somebody’s passion is some other event, that’s amazing. I’m thrilled that they’re involved in the community because that still benefits everyone. That’s helped me not to be completely nervous about the amount of money raised, because I really do believe it blesses everyone when we’re all involved.” As parents of three children respectively, Kristine and Shannon do their best to pass along the values of work and charity to their own children. Kristine’s three daughters have grown up volunteering with their Brownie and Girl Scout troupes, and her older girls have gone on to do charity work with their sororities. And Kristine proudly shares how her youngest daughter, Tate, planned a fundraiser over the holidays. “I do a big Christmas coffee, and I don’t want people to have to do hostess gifts. So Tate asked for donations to Maggie’s Place instead, and she had several SUVs full of donations that she and her friends gathered and took down. That was all her idea,” she said. Shannon’s three sons are also being raised with a heart for philanthropy. “You don’t all of a sudden start giving when you grow up if it hasn’t been a part of your life,” she said. “So we would take the boys once a month to different homeless shelters. We put together bags to feed them, and my boys would do the dishes and carry the food for the families. They would just sit and talk and listen. We wanted to start intentionally, when they were young, because of how we were raised.” The 60 th annual Heart Ball marks a big year for the family, as Kristine serves as chair and Sandy serves as Sweetheart. It’s also an opportunity for all of the family — Sandy, Mac, Kristine, Shane, Shannon, Joel and all of their children — to celebrate the legacy of work, charity and faith that makes them who they are. And though life has changed since Sandy’s mom was riding to school on horseback and Mac’s dad was leading “Black Mac’s Killers” in WWII, many things remain the same. And that’s a message that this Heart Ball chairman would like to share. “Life is so transitory right now and filled with technology, I think human interaction is at an all-time low,” Kristine said. “Raising kids in this environment, it’s important for me to teach them that there is a bigger picture out there. All these things don’t matter as much as human interaction and the impact you can make. Everything else will come and go, but human relationships are where you can make a difference.” For more information on the 2019 Phoenix Heart Ball, go to phoenixheartball.ahaevents.org . “EVERYTHING ELSE WILL COME AND GO, BUT HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS ARE WHERE YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.” JUNE 2019 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 29 JUNE 2019 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 29