A Giving Heart Foundation’s vision is to eliminate invasive treatments for kids with congenital and structural heart disease and let kids be kids again. Proudly partnering with Lurie Children’s, Leading with Heart is designed to identify future leaders who are current high school students in Chicagoland aged 16 years or older.
A Giving Heart Foundation launched a new initiative, Leading with Heart, in January of 2021 to engage Chicago-area high school students in philanthropy and develop them into strong community leaders. Participating students receive leadership development training and learn about philanthropy while raising much-needed funds for Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s Heart Center.
Students engage in several sessions and learn all aspects of philanthropy and leadership from vision to execution. They receive coaching from some of Chicago’s leaders representing all aspects of the for-profit and not-for-profit communities. The students are assigned to teams to develop a strategy coached by community leaders and focused on the outcome of successful fundraising.
Bob Berk (A Giving Heart Foundation) and Ben Black (Lurie Children’s) have developed the program curriculum.
PROGRAM TENETS
ELIGIBILITY
- Sophomore, Junior, or Senior in High School
- Minimum 2.75 GPA (or equivalent)
- Completed Application

Bob Berk, an accomplished entrepreneur, Master Chair for VISTAGE International, and author of Leadership Between the Sheets. Bob is known for bringing clarity and invaluable perspective to business leaders and students of all ages. Bob has spent the last 20 years working with leadership teams and C Suite Executives, while also developing and leading Millennium Development programs for the Chicago business community. Bob has also spoken at the university level and worked with leadership development at a Chicago Public High School.

Ben Black is a tenured healthcare operations leader with multi-faceted experience in academic medicine, for-profit health systems, and medical group management. His experience includes operations leadership with Tenet Healthcare, serving as the CEO of the largest independent neurosciences medical group in Illinois, and leading the Top 10 US News & World Report ranked pediatric Heart Center at Lurie Children’s.
TESTIMONIALS
Our winter 2021 class is underway. Applications for the next class, which will begin in Fall of 2021 or Winter of 2022, are now being accepted.
Support a Leading with Heart Student