HISTORY OF LASTING IMPRINT

In April of 2010 the Minnesota Chapter of It’s My Heart, a national organization based out of Texas, was formed by Angela Heidelberger, Samantha Paris and Sarah Ruley. Through the hard work and determination of these women the Minnesota CHD community began to be united.

The Minnesota Chapter of It’s My Heart held their first fundraising effort in Alexandria, Minnesota on September 11, 2010. CHD families throughout the state joined together to walk in Alexandria’s 1^st CHD Awareness Walk appropriately named “Hazel’s Lasting Imprint” after Angela’s daughter, Hazel, who lost her battle with congenital heart defect in January 2010 after only 13 short days of life.

After receiving news in January of 2011 from national headquarters that the organization would no longer be using our donations to fund research, the Board of the Minnesota Chapter of It’s My Heart voted unanimously to separate from national. The Board, which consisted of Angela Heidelberger, Samantha Paris, Steph Stoffel and Jolene Tesch, felt it acted in the best interest of the Minnesota CHD community who voiced their passion in donating to research. On February 28, 2011 the Minnesota chapter of It’s My Heart dissolved.

Steph Stoffel, Angela Heidelberger, Samantha Paris, Dana Shelso, Kristen Thomas, Rachel Greeley and Jolene Tesch fervently began the tedious process of forming a new organization that would best represent the values of the Minnesota CHD community. Amazingly, on March 2, 2011, Lasting Imprint was recognized as a non-profit corporation in the State of Minnesota and on June 14, 2011 501(c)(3) status was received from the IRS. Lasting Imprint’s first fundraising event, “Our Community has Heart!”, was held in Mankato, Minnesota on May 21, 2011 followed by Alexandria’s 2^nd CHD Awareness Walk in September 2011.

At the time of origination the Lasting Imprint Board and Staff consisted of:
Steph Stoffel – Executive Board Chair
Jolene Tesch – Executive Board Secretary
Samantha Paris – Executive Board Treasurer
Angela Heidelberger – Executive Director
Kristen Thomas – Event Coordinator
Dana Shelso – Twin Cities Hospital Outreach Coordinator
Amber Iseminger – Rochester Hospital Outreach Coordinator
Rachel Greeley – Newsletter Editor/Web Administrator
Lindsey Buttweiler — Alexandria Regional Coordinator
Carrie Meyer – Grant Writer

The foundation of Lasting Imprint is, and always will be, the children and adults that have fought and continue to fight CHD.  Their stories are the drive behind the passion and dedication of all Lasting Imprint board members, staff volunteers, and supporters.  Their hearts have left a lasting imprint on us and we seek to share that with others.