2021 Honorees: Chris Perry, William R. Guarinello and Deborah Norville

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. The Gala will stream live at a URL to be announced.

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 New York Women’s Forum 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.