Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild celebrates 20 years of helping children
The Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild Chapter celebrated its 20th anniversary April 2 in the very same place it began 20 years ago: The Club at Morningside.
Driving to the clubhouse, staggering 360-degree views of the mountains were framed by flower-lined driveways, providing a magnificent backdrop. Inside the newly renovated clubhouse, guests mingled as Trish Hatley and Mark Kahny quietly entertained in the background. By 6:30 guests were seated and emcee Jim Nye introduced Desert Guild board member Dirk Biermann, who was also co-chair of the event with Dona Nixon.
Biermann said he was a proud member of Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild Chapter, which was founded in 2002 as a way to help Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital provide life-saving care for critically ill and injured children. Biermann said he had recently enjoyed the pleasure of researching the guild's 20-year history; the organization's first membership tea was held March 17, 2002, and Biermann said he was pleased to see so many inaugural members celebrating the anniversary.
Attending the celebration was Congressman Raul Ruiz with his wife, Monica. Ruiz is a big supporter of the guild and its work to expand health care for all children here in the Coachella Valley. Other guests included Rancho Mirage Mayor Ted Weill with his wife, Jenny.
The event's gold sponsors included Suzanne and David Etheridge, Jeanne and Lou Mace, Dona and Jack Nixon and Hadley Date Gardens. Silver sponsors included Karlyn and Chuck Boppell, Mona Halum, Melissa and Pete Koss, Biermann and Drake Russell. Bronze sponsors included Dr. E. Jane Woolley (guild founder), Mary Ann and Frank Xavier, Angela and John Nelson, The Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation and the City of Rancho Mirage.
After dinner, 4-year-old Cameron Bryant was brought up by his mother, Alyssia Parks-Bryant, to give a testimonial. Bryant was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain less than two years ago, and both his family and lifetime member and board member Mary Ann Xavier were quoted saying Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital was a house of miracles.
Next, Dr. Patrick Leiter spoke about the organization's last "All About the Kids" event, which raised more than $50,000 for life-saving equipment at the hospital. He also honored Woolley for her service to the guild and her long-standing career as an anesthesiologist.
The goal of the evening was to raise funds to purchase a piece of equipment called a CATSmart, also known as a continuous autotransfusion system. Leiter, a professor of anesthesiology at the school of medicine, described how this miracle machine can reduce the amount of transfusions a child would need by repurposing their own blood.
Nye got the ball rolling for the donation part of the evening, and in a very short time more than $77,000 had been raised.
Current Board members include Josh Zahid, guild manager and lifetime member; Biermann; D. Joyce Engel; Debra Granillo; Roland Karim; Jeanne Mace; Dona Nixon; Angela Nelson; Dawn Rashid; Mary Ann Xavier and President Lizette Vela.
For more information about the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Desert Guild, contact Zahid at (909) 226-1085 or jnzahid@llu.edu.
Carole Stephen-Smith has lived in the desert for more than 30 years. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, she began writing in London and has been a regular contributor to The Desert Sun for eight years.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Big Hearts for Little Hearts celebrates 20 years of helping children
