Joe Beretta Heart Foundation

10/22/2026

For many of the patients we serve, an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) is more than a medical device; it's a lifeline.

An LVAD is a mechanical pump that helps the heart circulate blood when it's too weak to do so on its own. It's often used in advanced heart failure when medications no longer work.

How it works:
Doctors implant the LVAD in the chest and connect it to the heart and aorta. It continuously pumps blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body, helping patients breathe easier, regain energy, and live fuller lives. Many patients use an LVAD while waiting for a transplant or as a long-term solution.

At the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation, we walk alongside families navigating LVAD care, offering housing, emotional support, meals, and more.

10/19/2026

Today marks the beginning of National Health Education Week, a time to recognize the importance of health education in building healthier individuals, families, and communities!

At the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation, we know that understanding heart failure, recognizing warning signs, navigating treatment options, and knowing where to find support can make a meaningful difference for patients and caregivers.

Health education empowers people to ask questions, advocate for themselves, and make informed decisions about their care.

This week, we're celebrating the healthcare professionals, educators, and advocates who work tirelessly to make reliable health information accessible to everyone.

Because informed patients and supported caregivers are stronger together!

Learn more about the events and activities happening this week through the Society for Public Health Education: https://www.sophe.org/conferences_events/national-health-education-week/

10/17/2026

When you're traveling away from home for life-saving heart care, the last thing you should have to worry about is where you'll sleep or how you'll afford it.

For many of the families we serve, advanced heart failure treatment means traveling to Nashville for specialized medical care, often requiring extended stays far from the comforts of home.

That's why we're so grateful for our lodging partner, Stay APT Suites Lebanon–Nashville, which generously offers discounted accommodations to Joe Beretta Heart Foundation patients traveling to Nashville for treatment!

With apartment-style suites designed for extended stays, stayAPT provides families with a comfortable place to rest, recharge, and find a little normalcy during an incredibly challenging time.

To the team at stayAPT Suites Lebanon–Nashville: THANK YOU! Your generosity helps us stretch our resources further and provide hope, comfort, and practical assistance to families navigating advanced heart failure.

Looking for a meaningful way your business can give back? We're always looking for community partners who want to make a difference in the lives of heart failure patients and caregivers. Reach out to learn how your organization can help!

Learn more about our lodging partners: https://www.thejoeberettafoundation.com/resources/lodging

10/16/2026

Behind every heart failure patient is often a caregiver quietly carrying the weight of a thousand worries.

Caring for someone with advanced heart failure is an act of love, but it can also bring overwhelming physical, emotional, and financial challenges.

They manage medications, coordinate appointments, sacrifice sleep, miss work, and put their own needs aside, all while trying to remain strong for someone they love.

We understand that caregivers are often the unsung heroes of the heart failure journey.

At the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation, we believe caregivers deserve care, too.

Learn more about our caregiver resources here: https://www.thejoeberettafoundation.com/programs

10/12/2026

Every nonprofit needs someone who believes there is always more good to do, more people to reach, and a bigger dream worth chasing.

For the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation, one of those people is our Board Secretary, Sharon Smith.

Sharon is one of our founder Lillian Beretta's best friends, and over the years, she's also become one of JBHF's greatest cheerleaders, volunteers, encouragers, and dreamers.

If something is happening at the Foundation, chances are Sharon is there.
She volunteers for just about everything. She celebrates every milestone. She cheers when we break a record, then immediately wonders how we can break it again.

Most importantly, Sharon is constantly reminding us to THINK BIGGER and REACH HIGHER.

Behind every meal delivered, family housed, and patient supported is a team of people who refuse to stop dreaming about what this mission can become.

Sharon, thank you for showing up, believing so fiercely in this mission, and always reminding us we can reach a little higher.

We're grateful for your leadership, friendship, and your servant's heart.

Learn more about our board: https://www.thejoeberettafoundation.com/

10/09/2026

We’re serving up a few photos from one of our favorite Dinner in the Vines Signature Experiences: Pasta Making with Lillian Beretta!

This past summer, Dinner in the Vines guests could bid on more than just incredible auction items. Our Signature Experiences let supporters take home something even better: memories!

Guests who snagged a spot at this special evening joined our founder, Lillian Beretta, for cocktails and appetizers before rolling up their sleeves and learning the art of homemade pasta.

There was flour. There was laughter. There may have been a little friendly competition. And, of course, there was plenty of delicious food!

These are the moments we love.

Our Signature Experiences bring people together long after Dinner in the Vines ends, while supporting a much bigger purpose. Every bid and every experience helps the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation provide meals, emergency housing, financial assistance, and hope to families navigating advanced heart failure.

To everyone who joined Lillian around the table, thank you for making this evening so much fun, and for supporting our mission.

And to everyone who missed out this year…consider this your reminder to keep an eye on those Signature Experiences at the next Dinner in the Vines!

Because sometimes giving back looks a lot like good friends, a glass of w**e, and a plate of homemade pasta.

Learn more about DITV 2027: https://www.thejoeberettafoundation.com/dinner-in-the-vines

10/08/2026

We are incredibly proud to share that The Chronicle of Mt. Juliet recently recognized our founder and Executive Director, Lillian Beretta, as a "Mt. Juliet Mover!"

What began as Lillian's determination to honor her late husband, Joe, has grown into a mission that walks alongside heart failure patients and caregivers during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Through heartbreak, Lillian found purpose. Through purpose, she built community. And through that community, Joe's legacy continues to provide meals, housing, financial assistance, compassion, and HOPE to families who need it most.

But if you know Lillian, you know she would be the first to say that this work has never been about one person.

An incredible family of volunteers, donors, board members, hospital partners, healthcare professionals, sponsors, staff, and community supporters has made it possible by believing in this mission and helping carry it forward.

Thank you to the Chronicle of Mt. Juliet for recognizing Lillian, sharing her story, and shining a light on the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation's work. And thank you to our hometown community of Mt. Juliet for continuing to embrace and support this mission.

Lillian, we're proud of you, and we know Joe would be, too!

Here's to continuing his legacy and bringing hope to even more families.

Read the full article here: https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/chronicleofmtjuliet/mt-juliet-mover-lillian-beretta-executive-director-of-joe-beretta-heart-foundation/

Lillian, please tell us a little about yourself. “I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lived most of my adult and married life in a small town in central New Jersey called Moorestown. I moved to Mt. Juliet 12 years ago.” Children? “I have two grown children. My oldest is Gabr...

10/05/2026

What if $25 could help a family get to say “yes” to life-saving care?

When heart failure patients learn they need to relocate for treatment but can’t afford the cost, the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation steps in.

Through The 25 Club, your monthly gift helps us provide one night of stay every other month for a family in need.

For just $25/month, you become part of a community that gives families what they need most during crisis: hope.

Join The 25 Club and help us illuminate the path through heart failure.

Join here: https://www.thejoeberettafoundation.com/the-25-club

10/02/2026

October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month!

Sudden cardiac arrest can happen without warning, and knowing what to do in those critical first moments can help save a life.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating effectively, cutting off blood flow to the brain and other vital organs. It is not the same as a heart attack, although a heart attack can sometimes trigger cardiac arrest.

This month is an important opportunity to educate ourselves and our communities about recognizing cardiac arrest and being prepared to respond.
• Know the signs: A person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest may suddenly collapse, become unresponsive, and stop breathing normally.
• Learn CPR: Immediate CPR can help keep blood flowing until emergency medical care arrives.
• Know how to use an AED: Automated external defibrillators can deliver a lifesaving shock when certain dangerous heart rhythms are present.
• Act quickly: Call 911, begin CPR, and use an AED if one is available.

At the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation, we support patients and caregivers every day whose lives have been profoundly affected by serious heart conditions.

Awareness, education, research, access to care, and strong support systems all play a role in creating healthier communities.

This Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, take a few minutes to learn CPR, locate the AEDs where you work and spend time, and share this information with someone you love.

You never know when that knowledge could help save a life!

Learn more about cardiac arrest here: https://stopcardiacarrest.org/

09/30/2026

We're excited to officially introduce the newest member of the JBHF staff, Riley Schreher, who joined us in January as our Program Assistant!

A graduate of Mt. Juliet High School, Riley is currently attending Cumberland University, where she is pursuing a degree in accounting. While balancing college and work, she has quickly become a valuable part of the day-to-day efforts that keep our programs moving and help us serve families facing advanced heart failure.

As our Foundation continues to grow, so does the work happening behind the scenes, from coordinating patient resources and supporting volunteers to preparing for events and tackling the countless details that make our mission possible. Having Riley on our team gives us another set of capable hands and another caring heart to help make it all happen.

We've loved watching Riley learn, grow, and become part of the JBHF family over the past several months, and we're excited to see where her journey takes her.

Please help us give Riley a BIG (and slightly overdue!) welcome to the Joe Beretta Heart Foundation team!

Learn more about our staff: https://www.thejoeberettafoundation.com/