IN-PERSON & ZOOM MEETING: HeartGift

Sharon Dobbs will speak to us about HeartGIft. 

HeartGift provides life-saving congenital heart defect surgery to children from around the world where specialized medical treatment is either scarce or nonexistent. Established in 2000, the foundation has served more than 1,000 children, in over 36 countries.

One million children are born globally each year with a congenital heart defect, making it the most common type of birth defect. Only 10% of the world’s children have access to appropriate medical care. Congenital heart diseases are approximately 60 times more prevalent than a childhood cancer diagnosis. Without care, many of these children will not live to see their next birthday. HeartGift was founded to address this disparity of care.

About Sharon Dobbs

Sharon Dobbs is a Board Member of HeartGift Foundation, where she chairs the Mission Committee. Sharon and her family have supported HeartGift since its founding in 2000 and she has served in various Board capacities since 2010.  Her contributions have positioned the HeartGift Foundation strategically and financially to expand its global impact, increasing by over 10X the number of children served per year and enabling over 1000 children with congenital heart disease to grow to adulthood. Sharon’s deep passion for HeartGift was ignited by her daughter, Elizabeth, who was born with congenital heart disease and had open heart surgery when she was two months old.  Sharon recently retired from IBM as Associate General Counsel, where she led the legal team facilitating IBM’s global acquisitions, divestitures and complex alliances, as well as regulatory compliance in the Americas.  In addition to HeartGift, she currently serves on the Boards of Texas Advocacy Project as Vice Chair, and Camp Allen Camp, Conference and Retreat Center as Development Committee Chair.