H C B A
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
M E S S A G E
Go rd o n Hi l l - Hi l l Wa rd He n d e r s o n
Lawyers with heart
I
as corny as it sounds, the name says it all. Lawyers have a big heart,
and i am proud of the work Jeanne and others have done for this
great cause.
vividly remember a phone call I had with my father
when I was in law school. I could tell right away that
he was flustered, and he quickly told me why: “You
need to pray for Jeanne Tate’s daughter, Mandi.
She just had a major heart attack and needs a heart
transplant as soon as possible. She is just eight years old…”
As a parent, I cannot fathom what the Tate family went through
after receiving such awful news. Fast forward to the present,
though, and I am happy to report that Mandi’s story has a
happy ending. She received the needed heart transplant and is
thriving. But the story does not end there.
Having witnessed firsthand the incredible impact that the
American Heart Association (AHA) can have, Jeanne started the
“Lawyers With Heart” initiative as a way of giving back to an
organization that did so much for Mandi and her family. Each
Fall, the American Heart Association holds its premiere event
— the Heart Walk — that brings communities together to raise
funds, encourages people to live a more heart-healthy lifestyle,
and celebrates the progress made in the fight against heart
disease and stroke. In Tampa Bay alone, more than 35,000
people attend the Heart Walk each year, and millions of dollars
have been raised for the worthy cause.
Continued on page 5
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Jeanne Tate and her daughter Mandi at the American Heart
Association Tampa Bay Heart Walk.
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HCBA LAWYER