Be the Light at the 2021 HeartShare Virtual Gala
with
Honorees
Chris Perry, William R.
Guarinello and Deborah Norville
Streaming Live Thursday, April 15, 7 p.m.
New York, New York
—“Be
the Light” is the theme of the 2021 HeartShare Virtual
Gala and that’s because it’s your time to shine.
No doubt, 2020 was hard on everyone, even more so for
those in HeartShare’s care—people with autism and other
developmental disabilities. Covid-19 upended their
lives, cutting them off from their loved ones, their
cherished routines and the outside world.
On Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m. (ET), HeartShare
invites you to Be the Light in their lives, the light at
the end of the tunnel, the light that never goes out.
Join us as we toast the achievements of three remarkable
honorees who are committed to helping individuals of all
abilities live independent lives: Chris Perry, President
of Global Sales, Marketing and Client Solutions,
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.; William R.
Guarinello, President and Chief Executive Officer,
HeartShare Human Services of New York; and Deborah
Norville, Anchor, “Inside Edition.”
Honorees
Chris Perry,
President of Global Sales, Marketing and Client
Solutions, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., will
receive the 2021 HeartShare Visionary Award,
which is presented to a person whose work honors our
past, shapes our present and transforms our future by
building a foundation for success for HeartShare and the
community it supports.
Beyond his duties at Broadridge, Chris Perry has
dedicated himself to ensuring that everyone has access
to competent and affordable financial advice, products
and services. Perry served as a member of the Board of
the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey for over 10
years and currently serves as a Board Member of NPower,
which provides underprivileged youths and military
veterans with the opportunity to build tech skills and
achieve their potential. He is also a sponsor of the
Women on Wall Street Association, a New York-based
business leadership organization that helps accelerate
careers of women in financial services and unites
business professionals in support of equality, executive
leadership and breaking the glass ceiling.
William R. Guarinello,
President and Chief Executive Officer, HeartShare Human
Services of New York, will receive the first and only
Leadership, Innovation & Impact Award, honoring
50-plus years of assisting New York’s most vulnerable
children, adults and families.
From social worker to CEO: It’s a one-of-a-kind story
about a one-of-a-kind leader. HeartShare’s President and
Chief Executive Officer William R. Guarinello started
his career at HeartShare in 1970 as a 20-year-old case
worker when the organization was known as the Catholic
Guardian Society of Brooklyn and Queens. Over the course
of the next 50 years, Guarinello steadily rose through
the ranks, spearheading new programs and initiatives to
assist the developmentally disabled in the wake of the
Willowbrook School scandal. Guarinello became Deputy
Director in 1980, Executive Director in 1985 and
President and CEO in 1993. Under his leadership and
vision, HeartShare established affiliations with The
HeartShare School in 2007 and HeartShare St. Vincent’s
Services in 2014, transforming HeartShare into the
third-largest child welfare agency in New York City with
more than 100 program locations serving developmentally
disabled clients and their families in Brooklyn, Queens,
Staten Island and the Bronx and in 60 of the 62 New York
counties. For his aspire-to-inspire approach, HeartShare
will honor Guarinello as the first and only recipient of
the HeartShare Leadership, Innovation & Impact Award for
a half-century of dedication to assisting New York’s
most vulnerable.
Deborah Norville, anchor of “Inside Edition,”
will receive the 2021 Heart of Champion Award,
which is given to an individual whose commitment to
family and community transforms the landscape for
underserved and marginalized populations.
Through her ongoing humanitarian efforts on behalf of
women, children and families, Deborah Norville has been
a tireless advocate and supporter for the community we
serve in New York City and beyond. As the
longest-serving daily anchor on American television on
“Inside Edition,” the nation’s number one daily
newsmagazine, and with a storied career as anchor,
correspondent, co-host and reporter at CBS News, NBC’s
“Today,” NBC’s “News at Sunrise” and MSNBC’s “Deborah
Norville Tonight” and ABC Talk Radio Network’s “Deborah
Norville Show,” the two-time Emmy® Award winner has
leveraged her credentials and charisma to accentuate the
positive as a best-selling author and lecturer. Her book
“Thank You Power: Making the SCIENCE of Gratitude Work
for YOU,” which details the connection between gratitude
and enhanced cognitive function, was a New York Times
bestseller. She is a contributor to the popular “Chicken
Soup for the Soul” series, and the author of several
other self-help books as well as two bestselling
children’s books and a number of books featuring knit
and crochet patterns. Norville is on the board of the
Broadcasters Foundation of America. She is also a member
of the Council on Foreign Relations, Women Corporate
Directors, and the Women’s Forum of New York, and is a
past board member of the Girl Scout Council of Greater
New York and the Rita Hayworth (Alzheimer’s) Steering
Committee.
Gala Co-Hosts
Co-hosting the
2021 HeartShare Virtual Gala,
the nonprofit’s largest annual fundraiser, will be “Good
Day New York” co-host Rosanna Scotto and
Q104.3 DJ
Jim Kerr, both of whom are HeartShare Board
Members.
More Info
To purchase a sponsorship, ticket or journal ad, or to
donate online, visit
heartsharespringgala.org.
Where to Watch
The 2021 HeartShare Virtual Gala will stream live on
Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m., at a URL to be announced.
About HeartShare Human Services of New York
Founded in 1914, HeartShare is New York’s premier
nonprofit dedicated to New York’s most vulnerable,
empowering individuals with autism and other
developmental disabilities to reach their full potential
through education, life skills and vocational training,
as well as residential, recreational, family support and
long-term therapy services.