The Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced the H Foundation as the HEARTS Award recipient for 2025 in appreciation of their service to others and humanitarian excellence. The award will be presented at the 35th ARTS Awards, taking place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, January 10, 2025.
“The H Foundation truly deserves the HEARTS Award this year because of their sustained, unwavering commitment to funding innovative cancer research,” said Cindy Morris, President & CEO of Dallas Market Center (DMC). “Their impactful community engagement and dedication brings hope to those affected by cancer and inspires us all to come together in the fight against this disease.”
Added Sharon Davis, Executive Director of ART, “The H Foundation’s efforts in advancing cancer research and providing support to those in need exemplify the spirit of the HEARTS Award. Their initiatives not only lead to groundbreaking discoveries, but also foster a sense of community and hope.”
Since the H Foundation’s inception in 2001, the lighting industry has come together to support the H Foundation’s efforts in the fight against cancer. Nearly 40% of all dollars raised by the H Foundation annually are donated by individuals and companies within the lighting industry.
“When we began planning for the first Goombay Bash, I made the decision to reach out to friends in the lighting industry who had welcomed me into the industry when I became the owner of Hortons Home Lighting,” noted John Rot, President of the H Foundation. “I never could have imagined that 23 years later, the H Foundation would be the largest charity supported by the lighting industry and that our mission would resonate with so many.”
Cancer became personal to Rot in 2000 when a beloved Hortons employee, Pam Herts, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31. Her battle inspired Rot and her colleagues to take action and, in 2001, they hosted the first Goombay Bash. Since then, the H Foundation has raised over $13 million, donating nearly every dollar raised to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. These funds are used as seed money for basic science cancer research projects to help them compete for additional government or private funding.
“It is an honor for the H Foundation to be recognized as the 2025 HEARTS Award recipient,” commented Cortney Hausser, Executive Director of the H Foundation. “John is extremely humble and likes to avoid the spotlight, but this award is something that should be celebrated in his honor. Through John’s leadership, determination, and compassion, the Goombay spirit was created and lives through the saying ‘Cancer Is Personal’ to all of us… TOGETHER we will find a cure.”
If you’d like to donate to The H Foundation, click here
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