Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Launches Series of Events to Benefit Ca...( Cocktails for a Cause Jill Davis TOAS...),Health

Cocktails for a Cause, Jill Davis TOAST, and HeartBeat 5000 Combine to Help Children's of Minnesota Provide Leading Edge Care

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- A series of events kicks off this week to benefit cardiovascular programs at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Cocktails for a Cause will take place on April 16. It is the first of three events organized by patient families to support Children's of Minnesota, a leading cardiac care provider in the country.

Cocktails for a Cause will be followed by the Jill Davis TOAST to Children's Hospitals event on May 7. The 7th annual HeartBeat 5000, formerly PaceMaker 5000, is the last event in this series and will take place on June 27. HeartBeat 5000, a 5K run, walk and Kids Fun Run for Children's health, has raised nearly $850,000 for Children's of Minnesota's cardiac programs.

Jim and Jill Gilbertson founded HeartBeat 5000 after their daughter, Madelyn, was diagnosed with a complete heart block at 23 weeks of gestation. She received a lifesaving pacemaker at Children's of Minnesota shortly after birth. Today, Madelyn is a vibrant child who enjoys dancing, gymnastics, and swimming.

"We founded HeartBeat 5000 as a way to give back to Children's and consider it a tribute to all children with heart defects that challenge their health and well-being," said Jim Gilbertson.

Children's of Minnesota serves the most children with heart disease in the state, and its cardiovascular program is ranked as one of the top providers in the nation for delivering the best outcomes for patients. Children's of Minnesota is in the process of developing a new cardiac care center that will bring all cardiac patient services into a single location. The new center will open in 2010. Money raised through HeartBeat 5000 and related events will help fund the new facility.

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