Music For Heart event will fund life-saving surgeries
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers HEART FELT- Music for Heart president Brenda Small with a woman from El Salvador and her child who is in need of life-saving heart surgery.

A charitable organization, Music for Heart, aims to save the lives of children with congenital heart disease and hopes the community will share in its mission by attending "The Beat Goes On," a dinner, dance and auction, from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Sun., May 4 at The Canyon club in Agoura Hills.

Funds raised will be used to help children living in impoverished countries who suffer from congenital heart disease.

The disease in children is generally considered a death sentence if there is no medical intervention, said Brenda Small, founder of the Music for Heart organization and the Delaney Kate Heart Fund.

Small should know. Her daughter Delaney was diagnosed with a congenital heart disorder at the age of one week. If she hadn't had surgery, Delaney would probably have died before her first birthday.

Children with congenital heart disease who are born in impoverished countries aren't as lucky as Delaney, Small said, but she and her husband, Craig, are working to change that one child at a time.

Last year's fundraiser at The Canyon raised $68,000, enough money to save the lives of 60 children so far. Small hopes this year's event will be an even bigger success.

Two hundred children in El Salvador will live less than a year without surgery, Small said. "Our goal is to try to save half of them."

The foundation receives a helping hand from Rotary Club of Agoura Hills/Oak Park with its matching funds program. Last year's event will also pay for heart operations for more children in the fall, she said. In addition to paying for heart operations, the fund also helps pay for the training of doctors in their own homelands so they can treat children in their communities who suffer from the disorder.

Daniela Nunez, a 2-year-old from El Salvador, was recently flown to California for surgery, Small said. The child underwent a complicated operation but was back home in just three weeks. Small said Daniela must undergo another surgery in two years, but her prognosis for a long and healthy life is good.

Money raised also pays for teams of doctors to travel to El Salvador to perform surgeries on young patients.

The May 4 fundraiser will feature a number of 1960s tribute bands, special celebrity guests, and silent and live auctions. Small said the evening will kick off with a "meet and greet" with Ray Parker Jr., known for the "Ghostbusters" theme song.

Tickets are $75 for adults and $50 for children 16 years old and under. Limited VIP tickets are priced at $100.

Sponsorships are still being accepted. To order tickets, call (818) 625-7402 or visit www.musicforheart.org.