Our leaders are passionate about providing healthcare equity and access to heart transplant recipients who simultaneously suffered heart failure and financial distress, and about maximizing their financial, physical, and emotional well-being as they begin their second chances at life. Everyone volunteers their time.
Denise Redeker, Founder & Executive Director
After a complicated surgery, I received my new heart, my second chance at life in January 2018. Once I recovered, I knew that I wanted to give back in some way to the transplant community that has helped me so much. I began volunteering with Donor Network West, my local Organ Procurement Organization and found a niche that I could fill there in educating the public about the benefits of organ donation, but it wasn’t until September of 2019 that I found a way to help that was desperately needed, unfilled by anyone else, and could save lives and certainly could improve recovery after a transplant. I learned of a patient whose transplant was being delayed due to his inability to fully pay for his post-transplant recovery housing that his doctors would require. I knew that something as solvable as money shouldn’t delay someone’s second chance at life, especially since I knew that many people die while waiting for a matching organ. I enlisted some friends and hosted a fundraiser in my home’s backyard and raised $12,000 to help him. And that is how Heartfelt Help Foundation was formed. We can help people financially qualify to receive the gift of life and we help them into housing that facilitates reliable and timely recovery when they lack resources to pay for it themselves. I am so grateful for my own second chance and feel obligated to make it count in a way that gives back to the community that no one asks to be a member of, but for which all are grateful.
Jim Redeker, Finance Director and Corporate Secretary
Jim is the second of the three co-founders. He continually crafts HHF’s strategy, focus, fundraising, operations, and administration. He retired from being a Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Forensic Interviewer during a career in financial crimes investigations, legal compliance and business ethics, and auditing in insurance, utilities, and banking.
Amanda Schmier, Director
Amanda is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Experience Industry Management and serves the organization in events and graphic design.
Matthew Redeker
Matthew is the third co-founder and helps set HHF’s strategy and focus. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and works as an executive in charge of growth strategy, revenue operations, and financial analytics for an international software business.
Elizabeth Rainey
Elizabeth is a hospitality expert and managing partner of an event planning and design business. Her sister’s life was saved by a heart transplant and therein Elizabeth became closely familiar with the many intense struggles of a loved one recovering from the procedure. She serves the organization in graphic design and social media.
Rami Turk, MD
Dr Turk is a cardiologist who serves the organization as an industry advisor. He was an early Director and proponent of HHF because of how it fills a little-known gap between medical teams and insurance providers for a vulnerable, financially in-need population.
Francisco Jaramillo
Francisco is a two-time Emmy award-winning television producer who does video and sound editing for HHF.