Actor Mackenzie Astin; celebrity honoree John Astin, actor and director of the Theatre Arts and Studies Program at Johns Hopkins; cardiologist Steve Valenti of the Stevie V. & the Heart Attackers Band; and Roger Blumenthal, Heartfest co-chairman and director of the Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center. Photo by John Durand

More than $150,000 was raised on Jan. 27, when approximately 1,200 guests gathered at Martin's West to participate in Heartfest 2007, an evening of heart-healthy gourmet dining, dancing and consumer education to benefit the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center. The center, established in memory of legendary Blue Jays lacrosse coach Henry A. Ciccarone, is a leader in patient care, education and research regarding the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

The evening included a tribute to celebrity honoree John Astin, actor and director of the Theatre Arts and Studies Program at Johns Hopkins; medical honorees Stephen C. Achuff, emeritus professor of medicine, and Lawrence S. C. Griffith, professor of medicine, both Johns Hopkins cardiologists; and Jim Pollin on behalf of his parents, community honorees Irene and Abe Pollin, owners of the Washington Wizards. Irene Pollin, a psychotherapist, founded Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart Foundation, and the couple supports the Ciccarone Center and preventive cardiology efforts nationwide.

Astin; his son, actor Mackenzie Astin; and JHU students Michael Vincent, Elizabeth Eldridge and Jason Michael Maur put some of the leading causes of heart disease on trial in a comedic sketch titled "Trials of the Heart," which was written by the students and Mackenzie Astin for the evening.

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