Susie Wesley

Husband: Tim Wesley, with Barrett-Jackson Auction Company
Heart Ball Chair: 2007
Money raised: $1.8 million or “According to Sandra Hijikada, executive vice president for the American Heart Association, my final numbers were $1.836 million.”
Her gown: “A strapless Ralph Lauren metallic gown with incredible crystals on the bodice and a great train that pooled behind me. The exquisite fabric came from a French chateau’s drapes—no kidding! I admit I fell madly in love at first sight.”

Susie Wesley undoubtedly knows how to multitask—in 2007, she juggled a full-time career as a realtor with her commitment to fundraise for the year’s most glamorous party. But, according to Wesley, life wasn’t always so enjoyable. In 1978, her then 50-year-old father suffered a heart attack five months before her wedding, forcing him to undergo triple bypass surgery. Practicing good diet and exercise, Wesley spent the next 19 years campaigning for the Phoenix Heart Ball, but says 2007 was her most emotional year. As chairwoman, Wesley’s biggest challenge became even tougher when her family life began to suffer from the economic downturn, and she considered stepping down. It was her committee’s overall support, her faith and dedication to the cause that encouraged Wesley to press on. “Sometimes I wonder how different my life would have been if I had walked away, but then I smile because I know the Heart Ball chairmanship was one of the best gifts God ever gave me—despite my personal circumstances,” she says. That same year, Wesley made possible “Have a Heart for Babies” (an infant CPR kit for the American Heart Association) and “Treasured Hearts” (a division for women who have been on the Heart Ball committee longer than seven years, but are not completely active).